AA Helps Alcoholics Stay Abstinent Over the Long Term
Individuals who were encouraged to cut down on their drinking by fellow
Alcoholics Anonymous members were three times more likely to be abstinent
a year after their first treatment for alcoholism, compared to
individuals who received no support, a new study reports.
Individuals who received similar support from non-AA members, however,
had nearly the same chance of being abstinent as if they had received no
support at all, according to Lee Ann Kaskutas, P.D., of the Alcohol
Research Group in Berkeley, Calif. & colleagues. "This suggests that AA
members offer types of social support that differ from those typically
offered by nonmembers," Kaskutas says. The study by Kaskutas & colleagues
examined the relationship between AA involvement, social support &
alcohol use in 722 adults a year after their first treatment for alcohol
or drug abuse.
Although AA involvement did help many of these individuals cut down on
their drinking, the program's influence was reduced by a third when the
individuals also had relationships with people who were heavy or problem
drinkers or who encouraged drinking, say the researchers.
The study was published as part of a special collection of research on
the ways AA involvement may influence behavior in the March 2003 issue of
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"We still have a poor understanding of what AA-exposed individuals
actually do & how prescribed AA-related practices may mobilize & sustain
behavior change," says J. Scott Tonigan, Ph.D., of the University of New
Mexico.
Among the other findings reported in the issue:
* There is no direct connection between the increased "spiritual
awakening" reported by some AA participants & abstinence, but spiritual
changes may lead to behavior changes that promote abstinence, according
to a study by Tonigan.
" In essence, spiritual beliefs may promote a code for living that is
concordant with abstinence & discordant with alcohol," he says.
Many of the patients in his study who participated in therapy programs
other than AA still attended AA meetings & read AA literature up to three
years after their initial treatment for alcohol abuse.
"Clearly, clients voted with their feet regarding the desirability of AA
three years after treatment," Tonigan says.
* A study of 112 AA members found that all aspects of AA, including
meetings, meditation & prayer & sponsorship, were related to the
likelihood of abstinence a year after treatment for alcohol abuse. The
study suggests that AA may influence lifestyle changes, such as avoiding
places where drinking is common, that lead to abstinence. But AA's
influence on how individuals respond to life events like divorce or a
family death is not related to the likelihood of abstinence, say Patricia
L. Owen, Ph.D., of the Butler Center for Research at the & colleagues.
Becky Ham
Center for the Advancement of Health, 4.23.03
Contact:
The Legacy Group of Alcoholics Anonymous © 2005