Mental health & crisis management 7 APRIL qui z

Anonymous self-help support groups

Addiction may be expressed in individuals regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, culture, or occupation. Addiction is the most prevalent of all mental conditions, the leading preventable cause of death and disease globally. For these reasons, it has been argued that addiction is the most important illness of our time (Els, 2007). Yet addiction is often neglected and undertreated in Canadian society. There are significant barriers (e.g., stigma and resources) for persons with addiction to overcome in order to access the treatment they need, and these systemic barriers may be as intractable as the disease of addiction itself. Individuals affected with addiction are often alienated and isolated from both their family and communities.

 

Spirituality (which is not to be confused with religion) has a close relationship with the field of addiction treatment; individuals who have recovered from addiction often mention spiritual experiences or motivation as a major contributory factor in their recovery. Spirituality can be defined as the relationship between an individual and the sacred (numinous), perhaps represented by a transcendent higher being (or higher power) or force (or mind of the universe). This relationship is personal to the individual and does not require affiliation with any organized religion; religion is not necessary for an individual to develop his or her spirituality or, for that matter, to recover from addiction. Spirituality is an integral dimension of the Twelve Step tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

 

Twelve-step programs emphasize the conceptualization of addiction as an incurable, progressive disease that has spiritual, cognitive, and behavioural components. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was the first 12-step self-help group and started in the mid-1930s by William Wilson (“Bill W.”) and a physician. The AA movement has become a worldwide fellowship of people with problems (current or past) related to alcohol, which provides support, individually and at meetings, to others who seek help. The only criterion for entry into AA is the “desire to quit drinking.” Many treatment programs discuss concepts from AA, hold meetings at treatment facilities, and encourage patients to attend community meetings when appropriate. They also encourage continuing use of AA and other self-help groups as part of an ongoing plan for continued abstinence. Twelve-step methods firmly endorse the need for abstinence and are considered by followers as lifelong programs of recovery with success attained 1 day at a time. The 

importance of recognizing and relying on a “higher power,” or a power greater than the individual, is a central element of these programs.

 

Members of 12-step groups can attend meetings on a self-determined or prescribed schedule that, if necessary, may be every day or even twice a day. Periods associated with high risk of relapse (e.g., holidays, weekends, family functions) are particularly appropriate times for attending meetings.

 

A sponsor who is compatible with the patient can be particularly supportive and offer guidance through the recovery process, particularly during periods of high stress or increased craving. The benefits from 12-step groups occur through the interplay of social interactions, prescribed behaviours, and mobilized psychological process.

 

There is strong evidence that social support for abstinence is an important element to its success. Consistent support is also found for the benefit of two specific prescribed behaviours: meeting attendance and engagement in the program and being a sponsor. The evidence is mixed about the relative importance of spiritual/religious changes for explaining increased abstinence (Cavacuiti, Vasic, McCrady, & Tonigan, 2011). Inclusion in 12-step groups is considered a routine part of addiction treatment in most settings. However, an individual’s refusal to participate in a self-help group is nonsynonymous with his or her resistance to treatment in general. Self-help groups are not beneficial for all people, and some persons may not embrace the spiritual dimension of the program.

 

Alternative programs for sobriety, although not as widely available, have been developed to address this problem, such as Women for Sobriety and Secular Organizations for Sobriety. There are now more than 60 different 12-step fellowships available worldwide, including Alcoholic Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Dual Recovery Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, among others. They do not solicit members, engage in political or religious activities, make medical or psychiatric diagnoses, engage in education about addiction to the general population, or provide mental health, vocational, or legal counselling.

Source: Austin, W. & Boyd, M.A. (2015). Psychiatric & mental health nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer

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Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

· Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem

· It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere

· There are no age or education requirements

· Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem

· THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole”

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

· Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership

· NA was founded in 1953, and our membership growth was minimal during our initial twenty years as an organization

· Since the publication of our Basic Text in 1983, the number of members and meetings has increased dramatically

· Today, NA members hold nearly 67,000 meetings weekly in 139 countries

 

For further information please visit  https://na.org/  (optional)

To view a copy of the “Institutional Group Guide” please visit  https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/handbooks/IGG.pdf  (optional)

 

Al-Anon and Alateen

· AlAnon is a mutual support program for people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking

· By sharing common experiences and applying the Al-Anon principles, families and friends of alcoholics can bring positive changes to their individual situations, whether or not the alcoholic admits the existence of a drinking problem or seeks help

· Alateen, a part of the Al-Anon Family Groups, is a fellowship of young people (mostly teenagers) whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking whether they are in your life drinking or not

· By attending Alateen, teenagers meet other teenagers with similar situations. Alateen is not a religious program and there are no fees or dues to belong to it