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Religiosity and participation in
mutual-aid support groups for addiction
Randolph G. Atkins, Jr., Ph.D. and James E. Hawdon, Ph.D.
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Volume 33, Issue 3, October
2007, Pages 321-331
Mutual-aid support groups play a vital role in substance abuse
treatment in the United States. In 2005, The Walsh Group conducted a
national survey of participants in mutual-aid support groups for
addiction to identify key differences between participants in
various recovery groups. This research was funded by a grant from
the National Institute of Drug Abuse (Grant # 1 R43 DA016517-01A1).
The survey was conducted with the assistance of The Center for
Survey Research at the University of Virginia, Secular Organizations
for Sobriety (SOS), SMART Recovery, and Women for Sobriety (WFS).
Extensive data was collected from survey respondents on many aspects
of recovery. This paper, the first in a planned series of papers
based on this survey data, focuses on the impact of survey
respondents' level of religiosity on their recovery and their
participation in mutual-aid support groups.
Key findings from the survey on mutual-aid support groups discussed
in this paper include:
• Active involvement in groups significantly improves the chances of
remaining clean and sober, regardless of the group (SOS, SMART, WFS,
12-step) in which one participates.
• Respondents whose individual beliefs better matched those of their
primary support groups showed greater levels of group participation,
resulting in better outcomes as measured by increased
number of days clean and sober.
• Religious respondents were more likely to actively participate in
12-Step groups and WFS, both of which have spiritual components in
their programs.
• Non-religious respondents were significantly less likely to
participate in 12-Step groups.
• Respondents with low levels of religiosity were more likely to
actively participate in groups with secular programs, such as SOS
and SMART Recovery.
This study provides more evidence that in recovery "one size does
not fit all." These results have important implications for
treatment planning and implementation, indicating that matching
clients to
appropriate support groups according to their individual beliefs can
have a positive impact on their program involvement and, ultimately,
on their treatment outcomes. When participants in recovery groups
feel more comfortable with the philosophies of the groups they
attend, they are more likely to become actively involved in these
groups, which often results in longer periods of remaining abstinent
from the use of alcohol and other drugs.
* Our special thanks go out to all of those people in recovery who
shared their experiences and beliefs with us through participation
in the survey.
The article is now available on-line at:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/
[Just go to the Science Direct website, type in the first few words
of article title in the search and click on go]
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