Natural recovery from alcohol use disorders in Argentinean university students

A significant percentage of people with an alcohol-use disorder (AUD) recover on their own and differ substantially from those who do not. Those who do not seek assistance for AUD include a high proportion of university students. The aim of this study was to describe, in a cohort of Argentinean university students, the differences among drinkers who had never had an alcohol-related problem, those who recovered from an AUD on their own (natural recovery), and those who currently had an AUD. Participants were 1170 randomly selected students from the National University of Mar del Plata. They were assessed regarding the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, AUD severity, and sociodemographic variables. Descriptive and multivariate analyses (logistic regressions) were performed. Differences were found primarily in alcohol consumption variables, gender, and age. Natural recovery and current AUD groups drank higher quantities of alcohol and did so more frequently compared with drinkers who had never met any AUD criteria. Students with a current AUD drank higher quantities than did those who were in natural recovery. Students who recovered naturally had less severe AUDs, but many still had an alcohol-related problem. The implications of self-promoted changes in drinking behaviors are discussed.