title: Self-help organizations for alcohol and drug problems: toward evidence-based practice and policy.
abstract: This expert consensus statement reviews evidence on the effectiveness of drug and alcohol self-help groups and presents potential implications for clinicians, treatment program managers and policymakers. Because longitudinal studies associate self-help group involvement with reduced substance use, improved psychosocial functioning, and lessened health care costs, there are humane and practical reasons to develop self-help group supportive policies. Policies described here that could be implemented by clinicians and program managers include making greater use of empirically-validated self-help group referral methods in both specialty and non-specialty treatment settings and developing a menu of locally available self-help group options that are responsive to client's needs, preferences, and cultural background. The workgroup also offered possible self-help supportive policy options (e.g., supporting self-help clearinghouses) for state and federal decision makers. Implementing such policies could strengthen alcohol and drug self-help organizations, and thereby enhance the national response to the serious public health problem of substance abuse.
authors.affiliation: SAMHSA/Veterans Health Administration Workgroup on Substance Abuse Self-Help Organizations, c/o Program Evaluation and Resource Center, Veterans Affairs Health Care System (152-MPD), 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. KNH@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCarty
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chappel
authors.forename: Lewi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallant
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haberle
authors.forename: A Thomas
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.forename: Lee Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kaskutas
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kivlahan
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laudet
authors.forename: Barbara S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: McCrady
authors.forename: A Thomas
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: McLellan
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000191:economics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States