Aims: To review and summarize existing prospective studies reporting on remission from dependence upon
amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine or opioids.
Methods: Systematic searches of the peer-reviewed literature were conducted to identify prospective studies
reporting on remission from amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine or opioid dependence. Searches were limited
to publication between 1990 and 2009. Reference lists of review articles and important studies were
searched to identify additional studies. Remission was defined as no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for
drug dependence or abstinence from drug use; follow-up periods of at least three years were investigated.
The remission rate was estimated for each drug type, allowing pooling across studies with varying follow-up
times.