Dropout from substance use disorder treatment is a widespread phenomenon. Majority of the studies on the subject is of quantitative nature and shows little interest in the subjective point of view of patients to explain and understand this complex phenomenon of adherence to care. This study attempts to remedy the situation by exploring the reasons given by patients for their premature departure. Its originality lies in its cross-examination of patients’ care path by comparing and investigating both the point of view of patients enrolled in the treatment and that of patients who have dropped out the treatment. The methodology which has been used is a qualitative one and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Respondents, aged 47 (with a standard deviation of 10 years) and struggling with an addictive alcohol problem, were patients attending an outpatient follow-up treatment as the one proposed by the CSAPA Les Apsyades of Loire Atlantique. More specifically, 43 participants enrolled in the care took part in collective interviews and 10 patients in premature termination of care participated in telephone interviews. Through these interviews, four major themes were investigated: the characteristics of the patients’ demand for care (their expectations and motivations), the appreciation of the care consultations and the reasons explaining any desire or decision to stop the follow-up. A thematic analysis of the verbatim has then been carried out. Results obtained showed that all participants had a personal and profound motivation to engage in a follow-up treatment, and almost all of them said that they have been looking for help after having realized their own helplessness to get better by themselves. Regarding the appreciation of the care consultations, the participants attached a great importance to the attitude of the caregivers encountered as well as to the possibility of being helped through a way that benefit the day-to-day encountered difficulties. Finally, in the explanation given to the desire or the decision to drop out prematurely the treatment, the participants placed a great importance on the adequacy between the expectations of the patients and the characteristics of the proposed care. Patients who prematurely dropped out also mentioned the presence of barriers “external to their own will” which have exerted an influence on their decision to drop out the treatment. Moreover, dropouts were much more breaks from treatment than real ends to treatment. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon of adherence to care and premature termination of care while having a number of clinical and practical impacts.