Being Empirical about Substance
- There are now meaningful benefits for many different types of people, over and above formal treatment
- Mutual-help groups work through mechanisms similar to those in formal treatment
- Mutual-help group participation can reduce healthcare costs and could enhance outcomes
- Clinical interventions can grow participation in mutual-help groups and enhance outcomes
- Studies show that clinicians using these more intensive facilitation efforts can substantially increase the likelihood that patients will become and stay involved in these organisations
- The often-passionate debate about the pros and cons of mutual-help organisations seldom references the accumulating body of scientific literature amassed over the past 25 years. This “empirical awakening” and related science base supports the effectiveness of 12-step mutualhelp organisations and the efficacy of TSF interventions for reducing substance-related problems. Other non-12-step mutual-help groups such as Smart might provide similar benefits, but await more extensive empirical study.
Prof Kelly will be presenting at the forthcoming London Conference, Recovery Plus on the 22nd May 2015
Recovery Plus is a ‘crash course’ in how to recover from addiction. For busy professionals, it encompasses 16 speakers in one day and is organised by people in long-term recovery (me!). Especially designed for people who increasingly meet people with alcohol/drug problems in the course of their work but are not trained specifically to handle them.
Details at www.recoveryplusdb.com
Interventions Plus is a more intimate workshop for both professionals and family members who want to learn how to get a reluctant addict into treatment, and to meet interventionists. It is chaired by the immediate past president of the Association of Intervention Specialists.
Details at www.recoveryplusdb.com/interventionsplus
