OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to follow up a cohort of subjects who completed detoxification treatment and a deaddiction program based on the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model. The factors associated with complete abstinence were investigated. METHODS Patients (187 men) admitted consecutively to an addiction facility, who fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, were recruited for the study. Patients with major psychopathology were excluded from the cohort. The program was based on the principles of AA. The final outcome at 1 year was determined by visiting the patient and talking to the family and members of the local AA group. RESULTS Of the 187 initially recruited, five were excluded due to the presence of major psychopathology, one committed suicide and seven could not be traced. Of the 174 patients followed up, 58 (33.3%) remained sober (complete abstinence for the past year) at 1 year. Patients coming from distant places and those with follow-up workers in their localities fared better than those from the local area and those from towns where there was no one to motivate them to continue with AA meetings. These variables were significantly associated with sobriety even after adjusted for other confounders using multivariate techniques. CONCLUSIONS A third of the cohort remained sober at 1-year follow-up. The patients' initial motivation and continued support once they returned to their communities were associated with being sober at follow-up.