Abstract

The concept of "recovery" has become the organizing paradigm in many middle and high income countries globally with a goal of orienting services in cost effective ways to help sufferers achieve and maintain long term remission. Despite this focus, little is known from an epidemiological and public health perspective about the prevalence, pathways, and predictors of recovery, and the changes that ensue in quality of life and functioning with time in recovery. Using data from the recent National Recovery Study, this talk reviewed a variety of findings on all of these aspects of recovery from significant alcohol and other drug problems.