The 12-step philosophy includes believing in a "higher power" to help someone remain drug-free, and believing that recovery from addiction is a life-long process. Other recommended behaviors include attending meetings, obtaining a sponsor, and staying away from the people, places, and things that trigger substance abuse.
The study, conducted by Dr. Paul Crits-Christoph, of the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues, focused on 487 patients who were randomly assigned to receive 6 months of group drug counseling, either alone or in combination with individual drug counseling (IDC), supportive-expressive psychotherapy (SEP), or cognitive psychotherapy (CT). The researchers then analyzed outcomes using the Addiction Recovery Scale to assess the effectiveness of the 12-step program among people receiving group and individual drug counseling. They also used other scales to examine how IDC, SEP, and CT achieved their effects.
The researchers found a statistical correlation between the adoption of the 12-step philosophy and behaviors and drug counseling outcomes.
In what was an unexpected finding, the scientists also found that the combination of individual and group drug counseling may have influenced patients' beliefs about substance abuse. Negative beliefs about substance abuse (e.g., "Life without using drugs is boring," or "I don't deserve to recover from drug abuse") may help maintain usage. When patients' beliefs became less negative, there were more reductions in drug use. In fact, changing beliefs about addiction was more highly correlated with reduced drug use than was adopt
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Contact: Blair Gately
bgately@nida.nih.gov
301-443-6245
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
3-May-2004