Relapse rates following treatment for alcohol dependence are high, and efforts to prevent relapse are an integral part of treatment. Outcome studies have reported relapse rates of 65% within one year of treatment, with the majority relapsing within less than three months. Many factors have been studied as potential predictors of relapse in alcohol dependence, such as psychiatric disorder. Fifty four residents in an inpatient alcohol detoxification unit were tested on measures of memory and executive functioning, mood, self efficacy, quality of life, and liver function at the end of a seven to ten day stay in the unit. These patients were then followed up three months later via a telephone interview to ascertain the number of days drinking alcohol during this period. The sample of the study contained individuals at the severe end of the range of alcohol dependence, a group that has been largely neglected throughout the literature. Low mood during detoxification was found to predict number of days drinking in the three months following discharge. Executive dysfunction was also associated with relapse to a lesser extent. Low mood appears to be a significant barrier to ability to remain abstinent from alcohol following a period of detoxification. Interventions to reduce depression may have a beneficial effect in reducing relapse rates in individuals at the severe end of the range of alcohol dependence.