ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2017
Prevalence and pathways of recovery from drug and alcohol problems in the United States population: Implications for practice, research, and policy.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
133 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Personal Recovery in Substance Use Disorder: A 'Best Fit' Framework Synthesis Systematic Review.Community mental health journal · 2026Pooled it
- One-stop shopping for recovery? A systematic review of the evidence on U.S. recovery community centers.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2025Pooled it
- Substance Use Disorder Treatment Outcomes: Methodological Overview of Metrics and Criteria.International journal of methods in psychiatric research · 2025Pooled it
- Coping Mechanisms Utilized by Individuals With Drug Addiction in Overcoming Challenges During the Recovery Process: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2024Pooled it
- Lived Experience in New Models of Care for Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review of Peer Recovery Support Services and Recovery Coaching.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Pooled it
- Portrayals of alcohol use disorder treatment outcomes and their effects on stigma: Population-based, randomized survey experiment in rural Uganda.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Trial
- Alternative model of personality disorders traits predict residential addictions treatment completion.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Trial
- Substance use recovery among college students in the US: data from the Healthy Minds Study 2021-2024.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2026Article
- Mapping and measuring addiction recovery: Recommended protocols through the PHENX toolkit.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Review
- A meta-review of the evidence on addiction recovery mutual help organizations.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2026Review
- Group-based interventions for individuals with dual pathology: a preliminary focus group study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- On the need and contents of a specific addiction recovery research agenda.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Predictors of outpatient treatment engagement following a visit to a specialized emergency department for substance use: A cohort study using high-resolution electronic health records.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Development and Pilot Test of a Novel Digital Social Support Intervention for Reducing Hazardous Alcohol Use.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Article
- Who participates in collegiate recovery programs? A survey of students in the US and Canada.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2026Article
- Adaptation of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills to Advance Clinical Care in Inpatient Addiction Treatment Settings.Professional psychology, research and practice · 2026Article
- Effects of participation in a large, online community for substance use disorder recovery: A naturalistic, longitudinal study.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2026Article
- Relations between impulsivity and drinking in adults with alcohol use disorder during recovery: A longitudinal observational cohort study.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Observational
- Barriers and Facilitators to Higher Education Applications and Admissions Among People in Recovery.Journal of diversity in higher education · 2026Article
- Renewal and reacquisition of substance-associated relapse.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlcohol and other drug (AOD) problems confer a global, prodigious burden of disease, disability, and premature mortality. Even so, little is known regarding how, and by what means, individuals successfully resolve AOD problems. Greater knowledge would inform policy and guide service provision.
methodProbability-based survey of US adult population estimating: 1) AOD problem resolution prevalence; 2) lifetime use of "assisted" (i.e., treatment/medication, recovery services/mutual help) vs. "unassisted" resolution pathways; 3) correlates of assisted pathway use. Participants (response=63.4% of 39,809) responding "yes" to, "Did you use to have a problem with alcohol or drugs but no longer do?" assessed on substance use, clinical histories, problem resolution.
resultsWeighted prevalence of problem resolution was 9.1%, with 46% self-identifying as "in recovery"; 53.9% reported "assisted" pathway use. Most utilized support was mutual-help (45.1%,SE=1.6), followed by treatment (27.6%,SE=1.4), and emerging recovery support services (21.8%,SE=1.4), including recovery community centers (6.2%,SE=0.9). Strongest correlates of "assisted" pathway use were lifetime AOD diagnosis (AOR=10.8[7.42-15.74], model R2=0.13), drug court involvement (AOR=8.1[5.2-12.6], model R2=0.10), and, inversely, absence of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (AOR=0.3[0.2-0.3], model R2=0.10). Compared to those with primary alcohol problems, those with primary cannabis problems were less likely (AOR=0.7[0.5-0.9]) and those with opioid problems were more likely (AOR=2.2[1.4-3.4]) to use assisted pathways. Indices related to severity were related to assisted pathways (R2<0.03).
conclusionsTens of millions of Americans have successfully resolved an AOD problem using a variety of traditional and non-traditional means. Findings suggest a need for a broadening of the menu of self-change and community-based options that can facilitate and support long-term AOD problem resolution.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.