Many members of 12 Step Fellowships know the feeling and power of doing 12th Step work. Twelfth Stepping is one of the secrets to how AA works.
12th Step – Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Helping other alcoholics in Alcoholics Anonymous and drinking outcomes: findings from project MATCH.
Although Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the largest mutual-help organization for alcoholics in the world, its specific mechanisms that mobilize and sustain behavior change are poorly understood by the professional community. The purpose of this study is to examine potential relationships between helping other alcoholics and relapse in the year following treatment for alcohol use disorders.
METHOD: Data were derived from Project MATCH, a longitudinal prospective investigation of the efficacy of three behavioral treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence. To identify the unique value of helping other alcoholics when controlling for the number of AA meetings attended, proportional hazards regressions were conducted to determine whether the likelihood of relapse was lower for those who were helping other alcoholics.
RESULTS: There were no demographic differences that distinguished participants in regard to involvement in helping other alcoholics, with the exception of age; those who were helping other alcoholics were, on average, 3 years older than those who were not helping alcoholics.
Those who were helping were significantly less likely to relapse in the year following treatment, independent of the number of AA meetings attended.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide compelling evidence that recovering alcoholics who help other alcoholics maintain long-term sobriety following formal treatment are themselves better able to maintain their own sobriety.
Research; Pagano ME, Friend KB, Tonigan JS, Stout RL. Helping other alcoholics in alcoholics anonymous and drinking outcomes: findings from project MATCH. J Stud Alcohol. 2004 Nov;65(6):766-73.
- See also
- MP3′s and Movie of Bill W.
- Recovery Stoppers
- Twelve Step Sponsorship
- Emotional Sobriety
- Tools of Recovery
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