Almost Half of Those Who Resolve a Substance Problem Do So Without Assistance

It has been estimated that as many as 80 million Americans deal with some sort of alcohol or drug use problem – around 22 million of whom meet the criteria for a full substance use disorder, such as alcoholism or opioid addiction. Researchers at the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital surveyed a representative sample of U.S. adults about their experience with substance abuse and found that a large percentage overcome their disorder without any formal assistance.

“The number of people who have overcome serious alcohol and other drug problems and exactly how they have achieved that has been a question of increasing general interest and public health interest,” says John Kelly, PhD, director of the Recovery Research Institute in the MGH Department of Psychiatry. “Understanding how people recover and sustain remission is important from both a policy and a service provision standpoint, and finding that many people can and do resolve significant problems on their own is an important message that we hope can enhance individuals’ sense of hope, personal agency, and increased confidence in their ability to change.”

Respondents who indicated receiving assistance to resolve their substance abuse problem tended to be those who began using substances at a younger age, reported using several substances, or those with a criminal history. Use of assistance was highest among the participants whose primary problem was with opioids and lowest in those primarily using cannabis. “This study suggests we may need to broaden our thinking about how people solve these problems without formal help,” Kelly says.

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