Intervention: Help a loved one overcome addiction

Attrition bias was unclear in approximately half (14) of the studies, high in 9 studies (largely due to moderate (≥20%) attrition rates) and low in the remaining studies. Performance bias (blinding of participants and personnel) was most often high (e.g. if the clinical context precluded participant or personnel blinding) or unclear. Participants were male and female adults (18 years or older) with AUD, alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse as defined by standardized diagnostic criteria (e.g. the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th and 5th editions (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, 2013). Studies were excluded if participants were coerced to attend AA meetings (e.g. by their employer, court order, etc.). An intervention is not a place to embarrass, shame, or scold the person struggling with addiction; these tactics are more likely to make the person retreat further into substance abuse patterns.

Connecting with the AA Community for Resilience and Support

AA/TSF was compared with psychological clinical interventions, such as MET and CBT, and other 12-step program variants. It is important to gauge whether the facility provides all the currently available, evidence-based methods or relies on one approach. You may want to learn if the program or provider offers medication and whether mental health issues are addressed together with alcohol treatment. Ideally, health care providers will one day be able to identify which AUD treatment is most effective for each person. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is supporting research to identify genetic, behavioral, and other factors that can predict how well someone will respond to a particular treatment.

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Alcoholics Anonymous, commonly known as AA, was founded in 1935 when Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith crossed paths. Their shared struggles with alcohol dependency ignited a spark to form an organization focused on mutual support. AA’s mission is rooted in the altruistic idea of one alcoholic helping another, providing a supportive environment that encourages sobriety through shared experiences.

Groups for Family and Friends

Thus, these approaches are complementary and can work well together in an individualized, flexible, and comprehensive treatment plan. The original AA intervention is thought to work via its social fellowship and 12-step program (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2001). The social components operate through peer support and role modeling of successful recovery and through providing close mentoring through ‘sponsorship’ (i.e. having a recovery coach/mentor who can serve as a contact and ‘guide’, especially early in recovery). The common suffering of AA members may provide a sense of belonging or ‘universality’ that can help to diminish negative affect, particularly shame, loneliness and guilt, which is similar in principle to the dynamics of professional group psychotherapy (Yalom 2008).

Professional Associations of Medical and Nonmedical Addiction Specialists

Psychologists and psychiatrists, trained to provide cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement therapy to treat patients with alcohol-use disorder, can have a hard time admitting that the lay people who run AA groups do a better job of keeping people on the wagon. Engaging with local AA meetings is critical in forging a robust sobriety network. These meetings foster connections with others who share similar recovery journeys, offering authentic support and understanding. Attending AA meetings near Alabama or AA meetings in Florida allows individuals to immerse themselves in a community that empowers recovery. Proximity is pivotal; local meetings remove barriers, making it easier to commit to routine attendance, thereby reinforcing recovery efforts.

How Effective is the 12-Step AA Program?

As such, AA is part of the de facto system of care for AUD in many nations. Searches were conducted across all major databases (e.g. Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group Specialized Register, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and ClinicalTrials.gov) from inception to 2 August 2019 and included non-English language studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experiments that compared AA/TSF with other interventions, such as motivational enhancement therapy (MET) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), TSF treatment variants or no treatment, were included. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to pool effects where possible using standard mean differences (SMD) for continuous outcomes (e.g. percent days abstinent (PDA)) and the relative risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous. There is high quality evidence that manualized AA/TSF interventions are more effective than other established treatments, such as CBT, for increasing abstinence. Non-manualized AA/TSF may perform as well as these other established treatments.

Given the diverse biological processes that contribute to AUD, new medications are needed to provide a broader spectrum of treatment options. Certain medications have been shown to effectively help people stop or reduce their drinking and avoid a return to drinking. Acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions increase awareness and acceptance of present-moment experiences. Mindfulness-based skill-building strategies promote flexible, rather than autopilot, responses to triggers that can prompt drinking. The evidence suggests that the free and flexible assistance provided by mutual-support groups can help people make and sustain beneficial changes and, thus, promote recovery. To date, three medications have been approved by the FDA to help prevent a return to heavy drinking.

• Ultimately, choosing to get treatment may be more important than the approach used as long as the approach avoids heavy confrontation and incorporates empathy, motivational support, and a focus on changing drinking behavior.
• Enhancing rates of continuous abstinence and remission by 60% above what many clinicians might consider to be the current ‘state-of-the art’ intervention (i.e. CBT) are noteworthy, especially given the lethality of AUD.
• Support comes in many forms, including medical care, therapeutic help, and social support from loved ones.
• Active participation in the community fosters empowerment and self-discovery, encouraging personal growth while strengthening interpersonal bonds.

The average length of time it takes for someone to work through the 12 steps varies. Many 12-Step sponsors encourage sponsees and newcomers in AA and other 12-Step programs to attend 90 meetings in 90 days, or at least one meeting a day for three months. Overall, the focus of working through the 12 steps in any 12-Step program shouldn’t be on the amount of time it takes to get through the steps once, but on how thoroughly you are doing your step work and how you are using the steps to positively Sober living home impact your everyday life.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) originated the idea for the 12-Step model in 1938, when founder Bill Wilson wrote out the ideas that he had been developing through his experience with alcohol use. He wrote about the positive effects experienced when people struggling with alcohol use disorder shared their stories with one another. Research shows that most people who have alcohol problems are able to reduce their drinking or quit entirely. Each of these fee-based tools has a research base that shows its potential to help people cut down or quit drinking. Currently, there are three medications approved for AUD in the United States, and they are an effective and important aid in the treatment of people with this condition. Ultimately, choosing to get treatment may be more important than the approach used as long as the approach avoids heavy confrontation and incorporates empathy, motivational support, and a focus on changing drinking behavior.