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12 step meetings aid treatment success

According to Laudet (2003), a successful treatment outcome can be aided by the attendance of 12 step fellowship meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), during and after professional treatment. 12 step groups consist of meetings held and attended by individuals who are or were addicted to substances. Their aim is to provide peer support and advice in order to help individuals obtain and maintain abstinence. Over the last twenty years, they have become much more integrated with professional treatment. Private rehab centres, for instance, often follow the 12 steps and encourage the attendance of 12 step meetings whilst an individual is in treatment and when they have finished as well.

In his article, Laudet (2003) aimed to address the reasons why some people do not attend 12 step meetings despite the benefits of doing so.  With the intensity and duration of treatment dwindling, and not everyone having the funds available to pay for a private rehab centre, the necessity of addressing these obstacles is increasing.

Laudet (2003) conducted a questionnaire with both patients and clinicians. He found that both patients and clinicians held favourable views of 12 step meetings. The main barriers towards attending them were motivation, readiness for change and perceived need for help. This was in contrast to other studies which commonly cite the religious aspect and the focus on powerlessness, amongst others, as the main obstacles. From the clinician’s viewpoint, convenience and scheduling issues were amongst the most frequently provided reasons.

Laudet (2003) suggests that clinicians and other drug professionals need to inform people about 12 step groups. Groups can be flexible to cater for a number of needs, and individuals should be made aware of this. When information becomes more readily available, people may begin to utilize the free and immediate peer support that 12 step meetings offer.

References

Laudet, A. B. (2003). Attitudes and beliefs about 12 step groups among addiction treatment clients and clinicians: Towards identifying obstacles to participation. Substance Use & Misuse, 38 (14), 2017-2047.

Published by on 25/01/2012.

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