Email a Friend
Printer Friendly
Slashdot It!
Submit to Reddit
Add to Facebook

Attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may reduce depression symptoms

January 29, 2010

One of many reasons that attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings helps people with alcohol use disorders stay sober appears to be alleviation of depression. A team of researchers has found that study participants who attended AA meetings more frequently had fewer symptoms of depression - along with less drinking - than did those with less AA participation. The report will appear in the journal Addiction and has been release online.

"Our study is one of the first to examine the mechanisms underlying behavioral change with AA and to find that AA attendance alleviates depression symptoms," says study leader John F. Kelly, PhD, associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Addiction Medicine. "Perhaps the social aspects of AA helps people feel better psychologically and emotionally as well as stop drinking."

The authors note that problems with mood regulation such as depression are common among people with alcohol problems - both preceding and being exacerbated by alcohol use. Although AA does not explicitly address depression, the program's 12 steps and social fellowship are designed to support participants' sense of well being. While mood problems often improve after several weeks of abstinence, that process may happen more quickly in AA participants. The current study was designed to investigate whether decreasing depression and enhancing psychological well-being help explain AA's positive effects.

The researchers analyzed data from Project MATCH, a federally funded trial comparing three treatment approaches for alcohol use disorder in more than 1,700 participants. While participants in that study were randomly assigned to a specific treatment plan, all were able to attend AA meetings as well. Among the data gathered at several points during Project MATCH's 15-month study period were participants' alcohol consumption, the number of AA meetings attended, and recent symptoms of depression.

At the beginning of the study period, participants reported greater symptoms of depression than would be seen in the general public, which is typical among alcohol-dependent individuals. As the study proceeded, those participants who attended more AA meetings had significantly greater reductions in their depression symptoms, along with less frequent and less intensive drinking.

"Some critics of AA have claimed that the organization's emphasis on 'powerlessness' against alcohol use and the need to work on 'character defects' cultivates a pessimistic world view, but this suggests the opposite is true," Kelly says. "AA is a complex social organization with many mechanisms of action that probably differ for different people and change over time. Most treatment programs refer patients to AA or similar 12-step groups, and now clinicians can tell patients that, along with supporting abstinence, attending meetings can help improve their mood. Who wouldn't want that?"

Massachusetts General Hospital

Related Alcoholics Anonymous Current Events and Alcoholics Anonymous News Articles

Alcoholics Anonymous Current Events and Alcoholics Anonymous News RSS

Treating drug-addicted doctors is good medicine
Doctors who become addicted to alcohol and other drugs can be treated successfully and returned to medical practice with the help of special programs that couple referral to treatment and monitoring with rapid responses to noncompliance, University of Florida researchers report.

Coffee and cigarette consumption are high among AA attendees
More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program. While AA participants are reportedly notorious for their coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, very little research has quantified their consumption of these two products.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous benefit adolescents who attend
While Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has existed for more than 70 years, and is the most commonly sought source of help for alcohol-related problems in the United States, there is little "hard scientific evidence" showing that AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can improve substance-use outcomes.

Spirituality increases as alcoholics recover
For decades, recovering alcoholics and those who treat them have incorporated spirituality into the recovery process — whether or not it's religious in nature. But few research studies have documented if and how spirituality changes during recovery, nor how those changes might influence a person's chance of succeeding in the quest for sobriety.

Alcoholics Anonymous membership may decrease alcohol-related homicides
New research that looks at the relationship among drinking, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) membership, and homicide mortality has found that AA can have a beneficial effect on alcohol-related homicide mortality rates, particularly among males who consume beer and spirits.

Smoking seems to increase brain damage in alcoholics
It is already well-known that the brains of long-term alcoholics atrophy and shrink, the study authors say, but the new findings are the first evidence that cigarette smoking might contribute to that atrophy, particularly in grey matter of the parietal and temporal lobes.

Helping young people come to terms with mental illness
Creating websites and placing posters in schools are just some of the ways self-help support groups (SHSGs) could reach young people with a mental illness, according to a study just completed at the University of Western Sydney.

More Alcoholics Anonymous Current Events and Alcoholics Anonymous News Articles

	Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism by AAWS (Author) It's more than a book. It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-the Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery. Key features and benefits · the most widely used resource for millions of individuals in recovery · contains full, original text describing AA...
	Alcoholics Anonymous: the "Big Book" (The key text of Alcoholics Anonymous) by ignacio hills press (TM) IgnacioHillsPress.com and e-Pulp Adventures (TM) NOTE: This edition has a linked "Table of Contents" and has been beautifully formatted (searchable and interlinked) to work on your Amazon e-book reader, Amazon Desktop Reader, and your ipod e-book reader. This is the key text of Alcoholics Anonymous, and was a seminal work in the development of 12-step programmes to treat addictions. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol. AA suggests members completely abstain from alcohol, regularly attend meetings with other members, and follow its program to help each other with their common purpose; to help members "stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." AA created the twelve-step program used by similar recovery groups like Al-Anon, an...
	Alcoholics Anonymous: Big Book, First Edition by Benei Noaj (Publisher) It's more than a book. It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery. Key features and benefits ·the most widely used resource for millions of individuals in recovery ·contains full, original text describing A.A....
	Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by Alcoholics Anonymous (Author) Originally published in 1952, this classic book is used by A.A. members and groups around the world. It lays out the principles by which A.A. members recover and by which the fellowship functions. The basic text clarifies the Steps which constitute the A.A. way of life and the Traditions, by which A.A. maintains its unity.
	Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Features: Original First & Second Edition Forwards Doctor's Opinion Main 164 Pages Spiritual Experience 40+ First and Second Edition...
	Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book 4th Edition [ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - BIG BOOK] by A A Services(Author) (Author)
	Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by AA Services AA Services (Author) Originally published in 1952, this classic book is used by A.A. members and groups around the world. It lays out the principles by which A.A. members recover and by which the fellowship functions. The basic text clarifies the Steps which constitute the A.A. way of life and the Traditions, by which A.A. maintains its unity.
	Twelve-Step Guide to Using The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book: Personal Transformation: The Promise of the Twelve-Step Process by Herb K. (Author) This Twelve-Step Guide is written for members of any twelve-step fellowship who want to achieve the full potential contained in "The Promises" mentioned in A.A.’s "Big Book" and read at 12-Step meetings all over the world. It gives clear, precise and specific instructions for thoroughly working each of the Twelve-Steps in a total of 21 assignments. Herb K has been presenting Twelve-Step workshops across the U.S. for many years, and this book summarizes the action required for "the work" that can lead to the "spiritual awakening" –the promise contained in the Twelfth Step.
	Undrunk: A Skeptic's Guide to AA by A.J. Adams (Author) In this unprecedented book, A.J. Adams uses self-deprecating humor, entertaining anecdotes, and frank descriptions to introduce readers to the complete Alcoholics Anonymous 'undrunk' lifestyle. Beginning with the story of his first AA meeting, he takes the mystery out what goes on behind closed doors, in order to encourage addicts who are reluctant to get help walk through them. "My eyes wandered around the room, taking in the strange collection of humanity seeking to claim me as a fellow sufferer. If variety is the spice of life, this crowd was the jambalaya of affliction." Adams addresses the journey through detox and treatment, offering his own struggle of coming to terms with his alcoholism. He then presents a user-friendly history and introduction to AA, the Steps and...
	Alcoholics Anonymous with Reference by The Anonymous Press The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism. For distribution in the USA only -The text of Alcoholics Anonymous -The Original Foreword & The Dr.'s Opinion -The 29 1st Edition Stories -The 33 2nd Edition Stories -The Original Manuscript with "Ace Full 7-11" the single "manuscript only" story -Dictionary with definitions from 1937 - just before the book was written -Subject Index -Text-to-Speech optimized layout of pages 1-164 Published by The Anonymous Press, a non-profit run by AA members for AA members. We exist to carry the message while respecting and following AA Tradition. Statement of Purpose: The Anonymous Press is made up of a bunch of A.A. members staying sober by carrying the message...