Review finds AA performs well, reduces health care costs
When compared with other active treatment approaches — such as cognitive behavioral therapy — Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-based interventions performed just as well at reducing drinking intensity, negative alcohol-related consequences, and addiction severity, according to a study released today. The research team, led by an investigator from the Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Recovery Research Institute, completed a comprehensive review of the relevant scientific literature, and additionally found that AA and related 12-step treatments better increased abstinence and remission rates, while substantially reducing health care costs. The review is published within the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. AA has been a popular intervention for alcohol use disorder (AUD) for decades, but much debate has persisted within both the scientific and lay communities about whether it and related 12-step clinical treatments designed to increase AA participation are effective. In the past 25 years, many scientific investigations have been conducted to help answer this question and determine...