Help-seeking and recovery by problem drinkers: characteristics of drinkers who attended Alcoholics Anonymous or formal treatment or who recovered without assistance.

Most problem drinkers do not seek formal treatment, yet some achieve problem resolution without it. This research investigated variables related to help-seeking and to long-term drinking outcomes in a 3 x 2 factorial design, using 126 problem drinkers who varied in their help-seeking history (no assistance, A.A. only, or treatment plus A.A.) and current drinking status (abstinent more than 6 months or engaging in problem drinking). Dependent variables included alcohol-related negative consequences, dependence symptoms, drinking patterns, other drug use, and demographic characteristics. Formal treatment utilization was associated with greater psychosocial dysfunction, especially in interpersonal relationships, and with greater nonprescribed drug use. Alcohol dependence levels were not related to help-seeking, but higher levels were associated with an abstinent drinking status. Abstinent subjects also showed some evidence of greater social stability, but demographic variables, including gender, did not otherwise differentiate the groups. These findings suggest that help-seeking and attainment of abstinence are somewhat independent processes, but that both relate more to the functional consequences of problem drinking than to stable drinker characteristics.