This phenomenon is extensively documented in the professional literature under such descriptors as maturing out (Winick, 1962, 1964), autoremission (Vaillant, 1983; Klingeman, 1992), self-initiated change (Biernacki, 1986), unassisted change (McMurran, 1994), spontaneous remission (Tuchfield, 1981; Anthony & Helzer, 1991), de-addiction (Frykholm, 1985; Klingeman, 1991), self-change (Sobell, Sobell, & Toneatto, 1991), self-managed change (Copeland, 1988), and natural recovery (Havassey, Hall, & Wasserman, 1991). Natural recovery is, according to some studies, the most common recovery pathway (Fillmore, et al., 1988; Sobell, Sobell, Toneatto, & Leo, 1993; Cunningham, Sobell, Sobell, & Kapur, 1995; Cunningham, 1999; Sobell, et al., 1996), but the prevalence of this style declines as problem duration and severity increase.
Sentences to Ponder (more about “solo recovery”)
