Spontaneous Remission from Alcoholism ‐A Community Study

Abstract

Summary A community survey study of the prevalence of alcohol related problems on Clydeside revealed that a number of respondents had experienced alcohol problems in the past, but were symptom‐free at the time of interview. These respondents (N = 162) were re‐interviewed to assess the extent of their previous problems and also to determine what processes they considered to have been significant in their recovery. Examination of completed interview schedules showed that so‐called ‘spontaneous’ processes were frequently reported as precipitators of change. However, a small number of ‘ex‐alcoholics’ did report treatment as being influential in their improvement and such cases were significantly more chronic than those that were designated as ‘spontaneous remitters’. It was concluded that not only does spontaneous remission occur in alcoholism, but that this occurs most readily in less severe cases, and that the processes that are involved in such remission concern significant life circumstance changes, such as marriage and job change, which may in turn reflect increasing maturity. It was also found that persons designated as ‘spontaneous remitters’ were more likely to still be regular alcohol users, whilst those respondents who had recovered with treatment were mainly teetotal.