Substance Use-Focused Self-Help Groups: Processes and Outcomes

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the processes and outcomes of self-help or mutual support groups that focus primarily on substance use and associated disorders. The overview covers the role of attendance and involvement in self-help groups, primarily Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, in improving substance use and psychosocial functioning outcomes and describes the connections between self-help groups and treatment. Then, the focus turns to personal factors that affect participation in and outcomes of self-help groups, including the severity of substance-related impairment, disease model beliefs and religious/spiritual orientation, and the influence of self-help groups on individuals with substance use and psychiatric disorders, women, older adults, and individuals of racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. The concluding section focuses on the probable active ingredients of self-help groups, including abstinence-specific and general support, goal direction and structure, involvement in rewarding substance-free activities, and an emphasis on bolstering members’ self-efficacy and coping skills and helping other individuals in need.