Maintaining sobriety: stopping is starting.

Treatment of alcohol problems typically focuses on the cessation of drinking. Although cessation is necessary and important to achieving sobriety, this article suggests that maintenance of sobriety is a crucial, but oft ignored, component of effective treatment. Alcohol relapse is discussed in the context of aftercare treatment employing a relapse prevention approach. Within this model, relapse is not automatically defined as a treatment failure but as an opportunity for intervention and the interruption of the relapse process. Determinants and predictors of relapse are discussed, and assessment and intervention strategies provided. A case study illustrates the components of the relapse process and the interventions employed to maintain continued sobriety.