Main Goals and Justification The proposed research project is an outgrowth and extension of research Drs. Linda and Mark Sobell have been conducting for many years. That research began with investigations of individuals who recovered from alcohol problems without treatment (natural recoveries). A major finding of the natural recovery research, conducted in Canada but now supported by similar data from the US, was that rather than an uncommon occurrence, self-change is the major pathway to change. Another finding of our natural recovery research was that the most commonly reported precipitant of change was a cognitive appraisal (i.e., cost-benefit analysis) 1that occurred over time rather than some particular isolated event (event-precipitated recovery). The individuals most likely to achieve a natural recovery are those who do not have severe problems and who also tend not to access treatment resources.