Self-Help Organizations for Substance Use Disorders

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lembke ◽  
Keith Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Stages Of Change ◽  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Help Groups ◽  
Moderation Management ◽  
Alcohol Dependent

Self-help groups for substance use disorders have been active for decades, and notions of self-help have been prevalent for centuries. After presenting universal features of self-help organizations, the authors focus on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Moderation Management (MM), discussing the origins, membership, and philosophy of AA and MM and highlighting important differences between these organizations. AA’s emphasis on spirituality, interpersonal conduct, and abstinence as the only goal contrasts sharply with MM’s emphasis on personal autonomy, rational cognitions, and setting drinking limits. The chapter discusses scientific evidence of the effectiveness of AA and MM on substance use outcomes and potential social and psychological mechanisms of change. More research is needed in the area of self-help organizations. In the meantime, AA is proven effective for alcohol-dependent individuals who embrace its philosophy, and MM may fill an important niche for nondependent drinkers or those in the precontemplation stages of change.

Critical Care Medicine

2016 ◽  
pp. 719-728
Author(s):  
Cassie C. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Psychosocial Treatment ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Help Groups ◽  
Alcohol And Other Drugs ◽  
Pharmacologic Agents

Alcohol and other substance use disorders are a major concern in all age groups and across all ethnic, socioeconomic, and racial groups. Despite high lifetime prevalence (up to 20%), less than 10% of persons with substance use disorders are involved in treatment (either self-help groups or professional care). Several pharmacologic agents are available to help diminish the craving for alcohol and other drugs or to deter relapse. Although several medications, including disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone, may help prevent relapse, they are adjunctive and not a substitute for comprehensive psychosocial treatment.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Self-Help Groups and Psychotherapy: Self-Assessment of Patients With Substance Use Disorders

Medicina ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Velga Sudraba ◽  
Inga Millere ◽  
Elmars Rancans
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Group Psychotherapy ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Psychosocial Model ◽  
Self Help Groups ◽  
Drug And Alcohol

Background and Objective. The basis of substance use disorders (SUD) is formed with regard to biopsychosocial aspects. By following the SUD biological model exclusively, the effectiveness of treatment is limited since all the formation aspects of SUD are not taken into account. By using the psychosocial model, however, the understanding and treatment of a substance use illness becomes enhanced and is more effective. A key role in this model is played by self-help groups and psychotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine the viewpoint of patients with substance use disorders in terms of the number of visits, duration of treatment, efficacy of self-help groups, and individual and group psychotherapy in different treatment methods. Material and Methods. The participants were approached by researchers at two drug and alcohol services in Latvia. In total, 587 patients received questionnaires developed by the authors of the study. Results. All the 587 questionnaires of both outpatient respondents (n=200, 34.1%) and inpatient respondents (n=387, 65.9%) were analyzed. Of all the outpatient department respondents, 41.5% (n=83) attended self-help groups, 28.5% (n=57) individual psychotherapy, and 14.5% (n=29) group psychotherapy; the inpatient department respondents were 2 to 4 times less often involved in the measures. Conclusions. The outpatient respondents were more frequently employed. They attended selfhelp groups and psychotherapy and obtained longer remission comparing with inpatient respondents. This study has shown that patients had a greater success rate in staying in remission, maintaining outpatient care and shedding the need of inpatient care.

Intensive referral to 12-Step self-help groups and 6-month substance use disorder outcomes

Addiction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. 678-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Timko ◽  
Anna DeBenedetti ◽  
Rachel Billow
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Help Groups

scholarly journals Exploring Personality and Readiness to Change in Patients With Substance Use Disorders With and Without ADHD

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1255-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Flores-García ◽  
E. Ytterstad ◽  
M. B. Lensing ◽  
M. Eisemann
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Stages Of Change ◽  
Readiness To Change ◽  
Change Readiness ◽  
Temperament And Character Inventory ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Character Inventory

Objective: To explore personality and readiness to change among substance use disorders (SUD) patients with and without ADHD. Method: SUD + ADHD versus SUD − ADHD patients consecutively entering treatment between 2010 and 2012 were compared concerning personality (Temperament and Character Inventory) and readiness to change (Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale). Results: Among 103 SUD patients (76 men, age M = 43.3, SD = 11.1), 16 (15.5%) were diagnosed with ADHD. SUD + ADHD patients reported significantly elevated eagerness to effort ( p = .008) compared with SUD − ADHD patients, who reported significantly elevated fear of uncertainty ( p < .000). SUD + ADHD patients reported higher ambition ( p = .025), self-forgetfulness ( p = .029), and lower recognition ( p = .022). They were younger ( p = .019) and showed more often amphetamine addiction ( p = .022) compared with SUD − ADHD patients. Conclusion: The distinct characteristics found in SUD + ADHD and SUD − ADHD patients underline the need for differentiated treatment interventions.

scholarly journals KAPITTEL 2 Selvhjelpsgrupper og behandlingsgruppers tilnærming til personlig endring – hva er likt og ulikt?

2019 ◽  
pp. 47-68
Author(s):  
Ånund Brottveit
Keyword(s):  
Collective Identity ◽  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
New Family ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Therapeutic Mechanisms ◽  
Self Help Groups

In this chapter, the author discusses how, and to which extent, self-help groups differ from treatment groups in their approach to personal transformation. The focus is on the self-help group’s work, exploring what kind of community a self-help group is and what is happening there. The chapter compares two main models for self-organized self-help groups and points out some common “therapeutic mechanisms” that are also shared by therapy groups. At the same time there are interesting differences, not only between professional group therapy and self-help groups, but also between a 12-step group (e.g. Anonymous Alcoholics) and a typical “Self-help Norway group”. Self-help Norway is more psychologically oriented and emphasizes personal autonomy and self-control, while AA groups build up under a strong collective identity and view self-control as an illusory target for an addict. The author argues that the primary objective of self-help groups is not making new intimate friends. The therapeutic effectiveness of self-help groups seems to depend on that the intimacy and confidentiality within the group does not transform it into a “new family”. It is the quality of becoming “confidential strangers” that is the clue here.

scholarly journals Article Commentary: Prenatal Substance Use: Exploring Assumptions of Maternal Unfitness

2015 ◽  
Vol 9s2 ◽  
pp. SART.S23328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishka Terplan ◽  
Alene Kennedy-Hendricks ◽  
Margaret S. Chisolm
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Obstetrical Care ◽  
Prenatal Substance Use ◽  
Maternal Child

In spite of the growing knowledge and understanding of addiction as a chronic relapsing medical condition, individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) continue to experience stigmatization. Pregnant women who use substances suffer additional stigma as their use has the potential to cause fetal harm, calling into question their maternal fitness and often leading to punitive responses. Punishing pregnant women denies the integral interconnectedness of the maternal-fetal dyad. Linking substance use with maternal unfitness is not supported by the balance of the scientific evidence regarding the actual harms associated with substance use during pregnancy. Such linkage adversely impacts maternal, child, and family health by deterring pregnant women from seeking both obstetrical care and SUD treatment. Pregnant women who use substances deserve compassion and care, not pariah-status and punishment.

Service Providers’ Perceptions of Substance Use Self-Help Groups

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 1241-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Woff ◽  
John Toumbourou ◽  
Ellen Herlihy ◽  
Margaret Hamilton ◽  
Stephen Wales
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Help Groups
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