39 Alcohol Relapse Rates & Recovery Statistics
There are plenty of alcohol relapses that occur in the U.S. and around the world each year. Find the latest research and statistics below.
Alcoholism Relapse Statistics
- 33% of all those with an alcohol use disorder in the United States are going to attempt to quit drinking alcohol every single year.
- 25% of all those with an alcohol use disorder in the United States who try to quit drinking alcohol each year can reduce the amount of excess alcohol they consume for over a year after they’ve been in any form of treatment to reduce their alcohol consumption.
- 21.4% of all those in the United States who are recovering from some form of alcohol abuse disorder have had a relapse at some point in time after reaching their second year of recovery.
- 9.6% of all those who in the United States who were in recovery from any kind of alcohol abuse disorder have had a relapse when they reached their third year of recovery.
- 7.2% of all those those who were in recovery from an alcohol abuse disorder in the United States have relapsed when they reached their fifth year of recovery.

What Percentage Of Alcoholics Relapse?
11.2% of people who needed any form of alcohol or drug rehabilitation treatment were able to get access to form of treatment they liked most.
40.3% of people with an alcohol use disorder in the United States have relapsed if they have dropped out of AA after the first year.
23.4% of people with an alcohol use disorder in the United States have had a relapse if they have attended fewer than six AAA meetings.
21.3% of people with an alcohol use disorder in the United States have relapsed if they were placed on a waiting list for treatment but did not get into an alcohol treatment program.
41% of alcohol dependent individuals in the United States were able to able to avoid alcohol after a year if they went treatment lasting for at least a week or longer.
How Many Alcoholics Relapse?
70% of all people with an alcohol use disorder in the United States will have at least one relapse during their recovery period.
25% of people in the United States with an alcohol use disorder have attributed their relapse to their own personal low motivation.
60% of all people in the Unites States with an alcohol use disorder will have a successful long term recovery from this disorder.
After 5 years of full abstinence, recovering alcoholics in the United States have approximately the same chances of having a lifetime relapse as any given random member of the general American population has of becoming an alcoholic in the next year.
66% of all people in the United States who have been treated for alcohol use disorder will have at least one or more relapses in the year after they’ve completed substance abuse treatment.
66% of all people in the United States who have been treated for alcohol use disorder will have at least one in the month after they’ve completed their substance abuse treatment.
13% of all people in the United States with an alcohol use disorder report not making any further efforts to engage in the treatment process once they have completed the initial treatment.

What Percentage Of Alcoholics Recover And Stay Sober?
36% of Americans who are suffering from alcohol use disorder are going to recover after one year of treatment by a professional.
18% of people in the United States who are considered to be recovering alcoholics have been able to abstain from drinking entirely one year later.
36% of all Americans who have some form of a severe or what is known as a lifetime alcohol dependence will not be able to break free of their addiction.

When Is Alcohol Relapse Most Likely?
85% of all Americans with some form of alcohol abuse disorder have relapsed at some point in their lives.
55% of all Americans with some form of alcohol abuse disorder find it harder to avoid drinking on special occasions.
45% of all Americans with some form of alcohol abuse disorder will find it harder to avoid drinking when with friends and family.
19% of all Americans with some form of alcohol abuse disorder will be completely abstinent after a year.
75% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have at least two drinks during their first year of recovery.
40% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder attribute their failure to overcome alcoholism to lack of willpower.
Most Common Causes Of Relapse
85% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will experience Post-Acute Withdrawal during their recovery period.
34% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a relapse because of peer pressure.

25% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a relapse because they are unable to find a long term support network.
22% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a relapse if they live more than an hour’s drive from an alcohol treatment center.
27% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a relapse because of financial problems.
25% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will be more likely to have a relapse because they live too far away from an alcohol treatment facility.
87% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have at least one relapse, slip and relapse during their first five years of recovery.
Types Of Alcohol Relapses (Slip, Lapse, Relapse)
78% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a slip, lapse and relapse at some point during their recovery process.
56% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have more than one slip, lapse and relapse at some point during their recovery process.
33% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have multiple slips, lapses and relapses at some point during their recovery process.
3 Stages Of A Relapse
69% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have an least one emotional relapse during the process of recovering from alcohol abuse disorder.
62% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have an least one or more mental relapses during the process of recovering from alcohol abuse disorder.
34% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have an least one or more physical relapses during the process of recovering from alcohol abuse disorder.
Alcohol Recovery Statistics
7.2% all Americans with an alcohol use disorder have had treatment for it in the past year.
6.9% of all American men with an alcohol use disorder have had treatment for it in the past year.
7.8 of all American women with an alcohol use disorder have had treatment for it in the past year.
Only 4% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder were given any form of medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcoholism.
15% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder had a relapse after five years of recovery

60% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will be able to avoid drinking and a relapse into alcoholism two years after treatment.
What Percentage Of Alcoholics Recover & Stay Sober?
18.2% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will totally abstain from any alcohol once they’ve completed treatment.
17.7% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will drink far less drinks per week once they’ve completed treatment.
27.3% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will have a partial recovery from alcoholism after treatment.
25.0% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder will not be able to stop drinking even after they’ve completed one or more treatment programs.
How Many Alcoholics Recover?
10% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder who join a 12 step recovery program are able to stop drinking long term.
77.5% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder were able to recover from their problem on their own without help from outside treatment.
38% of all Americans with an alcohol use disorder still report drinking moderately.
30% of all American men with an alcohol use disorder were able to recover after five years.
42% of all American women with an alcohol use disorder were able to recover after years.
33% of all Americans over the age of 40 with an alcohol use disorder were able to attain an initial recovery.
25% of all Americans over the age of 40 with an alcohol use disorder were able to attain a long term recovery.

60% of all Americans over the age of 50 with an alcohol use disorder were able to attain an initial recovery.
24% of all Americans over the age of 50 with an alcohol use disorder were able to attain a long term recovery.