Al-Anon newcomers: benefits of continuing attendance for six months.
Al-Anon Family Groups, a 12-step mutual-help program for people concerned about another person's drinking, is the most widely used form of help by Concerned Others.



This longitudinal study examined newcomers' outcomes of attending Al-Anon. Aims were to better understand early gains from Al-Anon to inform efforts in the professional community to facilitate concerned others' attendance of and engagement in Al-Anon.



We compared two groups of Al-Anon newcomers who completed surveys at baseline and 6 months later: those who discontinued attendance by the 6-month follow-up (N = 133), and those who were still attending Al-Anon meetings (N = 97); baseline characteristics were controlled in these comparisons.



Newcomers who sustained participation in Al-Anon over the first 6 months of attendance were more likely than those who discontinued participation during the same period to report gains in a variety of domains, such as learning how to handle problems due to the drinker, and increased well-being and functioning, including reduced verbal or physical abuse victimization. Newcomers to Al-Anon reported more personal gains than drinker-related gains. The most frequent drinker gain was a better relationship with the Concerned Other; attendees were more likely to report this, as well as daily, in-person contact with the drinker.



Al-Anon participation may facilitate ongoing interaction between Concerned Others and drinkers, and help Concerned Others function and feel better. Thus, short-term participation may be beneficial. Health-care professionals should consider providing referrals to Al-Anon and monitoring early attendance.
a Center for Innovation to Implementation , Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine , Palo Alto , CA , USA.
Christine
C
Timko
b National Development and Research Institutes , New York , NY , USA.
Alexandre
A
Laudet
a Center for Innovation to Implementation , Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine , Palo Alto , CA , USA.
Rudolf H
RH
Moos
D000436:Alcoholics Anonymous; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life
12-step groups; Al-Anon Family Groups; addiction; alcohol use disorders; family; mutual-help