Social support and psychiatric severity are known to influence substance abuse. However, little is known about how their influences vary under different conditions. We aimed to study how different types of social support were associated with substance abuse outcomes among persons with low and moderate psychiatric severity who entered Sober Living…

Despite the heterogeneity of posttreatment outcomes, the likelihood of relapse is often dependent on several factors, including participation in continuing care services such as self-help groups. However, few studies have examined the use of self-help groups among adolescent outpatients. Therefore, in this study, investigators examined self-help…

Self-Help Support Groups (SHSGs) for substance use issues are recognized in current policies for their role in reducing substance use. However, these policies recognize only their therapeutic value. This article argues that SHSGs can offer more than therapeutic advantage. This contention follows a study involving young people who were involved in…

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the most widely used organization for the treatment of alcoholism. AA's philosophy has changed how many people view themselves and their substance use. The majority of substance abuse programs in the United States use the 12 steps, either by making them the basis of their treatment program, or by introducing AA to…

Objective: This study examined differences in treatment rates for substance use disorders (SUD) among adolescents of white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity. Method: Eight years of cross-sectional data (2001-2008) were pooled from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health…

While self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are becoming more integrated into the professional substance abuse treatment network, many professionals are still hesitant to encourage clients to attend self-help groups after treatment. This study examined what factors predict the degree of cooperation between professional agencies and…

The present study investigated the attitudes of neighborhood residents toward a particular type of substance abuse recovery home (i.e., Oxford House). Individuals who lived next to these recovery homes versus those who lived a block away were assessed regarding their attitudes toward substance abuse recovery homes and individuals in recovery. The…

This report contains highlights from a seminar on the role of parents in helping adolescents with their health problems. Comments by these panelists is summarized: Judy Areen, dean, Georgetown University Law Center; Barbara Popper, founder and board member of Children in Hospitals, Inc. and resource specialist at the Federation for Children with…

Followed 201 treated substance abusers for 6 months and found that Blacks and women were more likely to attend self-help groups and that measures of social stability did not predict attendance. Found that persons who attended groups had more severe problems in several domains. (Author/NB)

This study investigates gender differences in adolescent substance abuse behavior, treatment effectiveness, and the associated relationships with pre-, during-, and post-treatment groups of variables. Analyses were performed using 6-month post-treatment follow-up data from over two thousand subjects. T-test analysis showed that females exhibited…

One-hundred and fifty-one students enrolled in substance abuse counselor training classes were surveyed on their attitudes about spirituality in substance abuse treatment and their beliefs about the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Significant correlations were found between the subjects' spirituality and their attitudes toward…

Substance abuse following recidivism is high for both men and women. Studies conducted at DePaul University suggest one type of recovery home for alcohol abuse recovery has potential. Within this self-help communal living setting, recovering alcoholics were able to maintain employment, thus increasing personal responsibility and possibly impacting…

This workbook helps adolescents learn how to take charge of their own lives and happiness. The underlying idea is to teach them how to live responsibly. By learning to live responsibly, adolescents have the best chance of avoiding drugs, alcohol, and other addictive behaviors such as overeating and overspending. The workbook explains the steps to…

Discusses the potential of self-help/mutual-aid groups as a way to reduce the demand for professional substance-abuse treatment and proposes a model that combines the two approaches for cost-effective and therapeutically effective networks of services. (SLD)

This practicum was designed to evaluate the needs of clinicians in identifying substance abuse issues in severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents, and its dynamics in their family histories. This writer designed and administered pre and post questionnaires to both professional and paraprofessional staff members to evaluate attitude…