Studies of natural recoveries from alcohol, heroin, and cocaine abuse have
indicated that many individuals are able to change their drug or alcohol us
e when the benefits of using the drug are outweighed by the negatives. The
present study investigated the recovery process using 50 abstinent (greater
than or equal to 1 year) untreated former cocaine users and 21 untreated a
nd nonrecovered cocaine users. The recovered group did not differ from the
untreated, active cocaine users in terms of demographic variables, lifetime
substance use history, psychiatric history, or cocaine-related consequence
s. Recovery was most frequently related to a cognitive evaluation of the pr
os and cons of continued cocaine use. Discrete life events triggering cessa
tion were less frequently reported by the recovered respondents. Implicatio
ns of this research for the treatment of cocaine dependence are discussed.