This paper describes an epidemiologic-based sample of individuals who remitted from alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence, both with and without treatment, to abstinence or moderate drinking. Inspection of the severity, onset, and duration of alcohol problems experienced by these individuals suggests that there may be two primary categories of drinkers with distinct pathways to remission. The first is a population of individuals who experience significant problems for an extended period of time who then resolve to abstinence through the use of treatment services. The second is a population of individuals who drink heavily at some point in their lives, experience some problems, and then "mature out" of this stage in their life as they age and take on other life roles.
