For the past several decades, Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 steps have dominated addiction treatment in America — boasting millions of adherents and turning into the standard option within most addiction treatment programs in the US.
A new study has found, however, that AA, the original 12-step program, and others like it don’t have to be the only answer for people seeking out mutual help groups to deal with alcohol addiction.
The study, in short, looked at how people’s self-reported outcomes with AA and 12-step programs compare with the three biggest alternative mutual help groups — Women for Sobriety, SMART Recovery, and LifeRing. It concluded that these other groups perform about as well as 12-step programs.
“This study suggests that these alternatives really are viable options for people who are looking for recovery support and don’t like AA for whatever reason,” Sarah Zemore, lead author of the study, told me.