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The early impact of involvement in Narcotics Anonymous self-help
groups: A report from the Role of Self-Help Groups in Drug
Treatment Research Project
The early impact of involvement in
Narcotics Anonymous self-help groups: A report from the Role
of Self-Help Groups in Drug Treatment Research Project
is the second in the series. This study was funded by the
Australian National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (now the National
Drug Strategy) and the Ian Potter Foundation, and conducted
with the assistance of members of the Self-Help Research Advisory
Group. Analyses were supported by the Centre for Adolescent
Health.
Self-help groups are considered an important
adjunct to formal alcohol and drug treatment services in Australia
and many other countries. Yet research with these groups is
difficult and there has been little evaluation. In the mid
1990s, the small but growing membership of Narcotics Anonymous
in Victoria provided an opportunity to study the characteristics
and early experience of new self-help members through the
first longitudinal follow-up to recruit directly from within
Narcotics Anonymous groups. The study found that higher self-help
participation through the twelve months prior to follow-up
was associated with lower levels of hazardous alcohol use
and higher emotional support at reinterview. These findings
provide some of the first evidence to support the effectiveness
of self-help groups and suggest the potential for these groups
to support drug treatment and recovery from drug use problems.
ISBN: 1 74001 013 2
$29.95
incl GST
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