In a new study from Carleton University, researchers found that the possibility of ending alcohol dependency gets easier with age.
Moreover, more than half of individuals who have been dependent on alcohol are free of any addictions or mental illness, and nearly 40% are in excellent mental health.
Alcohol dependence is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States. Approximately 88,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes every year, with nearly a third of all driving fatalities linked to alcohol-impaired driving.
In the U.S, excessive alcohol use has been linked to close to 250 billion dollars in economic losses annually.
In the study, the team used data from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health.
They examined a nationally representative sample of 820 adult Canadians with a history of alcohol dependence to 19,945 who had never been addicted to alcohol.
They found that in the past year, 71% of those with a history of alcohol dependence were no longer dependent; 52% were free of any addictions or mental illness, and 38% were in optimal mental health with high levels of happiness and social and psychological well-being.
Additionally, among those with a history of alcohol dependence, each decade of age was linked to more than 30% higher odds of remission from alcohol dependency and optimal mental health.
Positive outcomes were more common among married respondents and those who had never had major depressive disorders or generalized anxiety disorders.
The team also found social support to be strongly linked to remission from alcohol dependence and achieving optimal mental health.
The team says the high levels of resilience are encouraging for those who are alcohol dependent, their family and loved ones and for professionals in the field.
Society needs to provide opportunities for healthy social integration and social support for clients who are working to overcome alcohol dependence.
A supportive circle of friends and family appears to be extremely important for the whole recovery trajectory.
If you care about alcohol and your health, please read studies about alcohol could cause brain damage even you stop drinking and findings of Is alcohol harmful or helpful? It depends on your age.
For more information about alcohol and wellness, please see recent studies about moderate alcohol drinking linked to high blood pressure and results showing that Alzheimer’s drug may reverse brain damage from alcohol drinking.
The study is published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse. One author of the study is Melissa L. Redmond.
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