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Anonymous Groups Effectiveness

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Effectiveness of Anonymous Groups for Individuals with Substance Abuse Disorders Danielle M. Slain University of Minnesota Abstract The prevalence and participation of various Anonymous groups (I.e. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, etc.) has grown substantially over the last decade. Researchers suggest that attendance is an important part of recovery from substance abuse disorders, but dropout and relapse is still a common aspect of patient recovery. This review attempts to address what type of individuals would benefit from Anonymous groups, why relapses or dropouts occur in conjunction with participation in the Anonymous groups, and how we can use this information in a clinical setting to facilitate …show more content…

He then described the five testing instruments, Steps Questionnaire (“To assess adoption of attitudes associated with AA steps 1, 2, and 3”), Step Questionnaire (“To assess practice of AA steps 11 and 12”), Brown-Peterson Recovery Progress Inventory (“To assess patient functioning in terms of working the AA program”), AA Involvement Scale (“To assess AA attendance and involvement”), AA Affiliation Scale (“To assess AA involvement”) and the Surrender Scale (“To assess surrender” to a higher power) (Allen, 2000, p. 228). Researchers then suggested that by utilizing these instruments, clinicians could better determine the likelihood of success of an individual’s continued sobriety in conjunction with that of therapeutic …show more content…

Even further, research tends to focus around male participants. For example, Kelly (2000) found that in one of the more commonly cited meta-analytic reviews, Emrick, Tonigan, Montgomery and Little (1993), “women were vastly underrepresented” (p. 651). Researchers noted, “this disparity is remarkable given that women have consistently made up about one-third of AA members and make up one-third of [substance use disorder] treatment admissions” (Kelly, 2000, p. 652). Findings are predominantly important because, as Kelly suggests, the “emphasis on powerlessness and the minority status of women in 12-step groups that may make women-specific issues more difficult to discuss” (p.

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