PowerPoint presentation about self-help groups for dually diagnosed addicts.

3. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was the first
self-help group to be founded in the United
States. For the first time, hopeless
alcoholics could go to their peers and not be
judged as immoral. Most other support
groups in existence now have similar values
and philosophies to those of AA, so I will give
a brief overview of the organization.

4. When one of the founders of AA went to Carl
Jung for help, as an alcoholic, Jung told him
there was nothing he could do either
physically or psychologically for his addiction.
When Jung told him to seek spiritual help,
Rowland H. sought out the Oxford group, the
Christian group AA is based upon.
(The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 2010)

5. The twelve steps AA endorses involve taking
responsibility for one’s actions. If you put
yourself in a place where you can drink when
you know you cannot control it, you cannot
blame being drunk on anyone but yourself.
There are also amends to be made to loved
ones and family you neglected or abused, or
asked to support you in your drunkenness
(The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 2010).

6. As an ongoing member of AA, one is
expected to continually give back to the
community, sponsor and support members of
the group, and serve where needed in the
alcoholic community, as well as his
community of residence.

7. It is because of AA’s efforts and successes
that alcoholism, and ultimately addiction, has
received recognition as an illness, breaking
ground for a new understanding and
subsequent medical studies of addictions.
(The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 2010)

8. Still, there were many failures in the
organization, those who continued to relapse
even though they worked the program
faithfully, both in AA and its sister Narcotics
Anonymous, founded in 1954. No one
understood why the program worked so well
for some and not for others. It was not until
very recently that professionals realized there
could be a combined substance abuse
disorder and a mental illness (Vederhus,
2006).

9. Recently, professionals theorized that many
of those suffering with a substance abuse
disorder may have been self-medicating to
alleviate the symptoms of an underlying
mental illness. Subsequent research has
proven this out, as over 50% of alcoholics
requesting treatment for their addictions
were found to have a comorbid personality
disorder (PD) (Fleury, 2011).

10.  Double Trouble in Recovery
 Dual Disorders Anonymous
 Dual Recovery Anonymous

11. The studies have looked at the importance of consistent
attendance in the more recently formed specialized groups
in the subjects’ abstinence, but there may be other
attributable factors determining success (Kelly, 2011).
First, many of the groups have a spiritual application,
which can directly affect the confidence of the patient and
his wish for a change in lifestyle. Secondly, the patient’s
diagnosis can directly affect his success, as schizophrenic
and bipolar patients are least successful in recovery efforts
(Knight E. P., 2006). Finally, there is going to be a
difference in the etiology of each subject. His background,
the length of time he has used substances, his physical
condition, and the level of support he receives outside his
group will all affect his success at abstinence
(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, 2007).

12. As far as the research goes that has been
reviewed, there is a justification in dually-
diagnosed patients’ attendance of the
customized self-help programs. These are very
new to the field of substance abuse, as is the
discovery that a large proportion of all those
suffering from substance abuse suffer also from
another disorder. Consequently, we will not see
many long- term effects of these programs at
this time, but the short-term effects are hopeful.
As we study more, the programs can become
more successful, giving hope to many who had
none in the past.

13. Brady. K., M. P. (2002, March 2002). Comorbidity of substance use and axis I
psychiatric disorders . Retrieved from: Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health
eJournal: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430610
Els, C. &. (2007).Addiction is a mental disorder, best managed in a (public) mental
health setting-but our system is failing us/addiction is treated by all domains of
our society/response to Dr. Campbell/response to Dr Els: The new psychiatry will
treat the disordered mind . Canadian Journal of Psychiatry , 167-69.
Fleury, M. G. (2011, June 29). Typology of Adults Diagnosed with Mental Disorders
Based on Socio-demographics and Clinical and Service Use Characteristics.
Retrieved from WebMD: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/745057
kap.samhsa.gov. (1994). Treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse: Opportunities
for coordination. Retrieved from Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 11:
http://kap.samhsa.gov/products/manuals/taps/11j.htm
Kelly, J. &. (2011). The role of mutual-help groups in extending the framework of
treatment. Alcohol Research and Health , 350-55.
Knight, E. (2006). Self-help and serious mental illness: What mutual support groups
are available? . Retrieved from MedScape General Medicine, (8):
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/519009

14. Laudet, A. C. (2004). Social Support Mediates the Effects of Dual-Focus Mutual Aid
Groups on Abstinence from Substance Use. American Journal of Community
Psychology , 175–185. .
Perron, B. B. (2010). Treatment Guidelines for Substance Use Disorders and Serious
Mental Illnesses: Do They Address Co-occurring Disorders. Substance use and
Misuse , 1262-1278.
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. (2010). Alcoholics anonymous information. Retrieved from
Alcoholics Anonymous: http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=1
Vederhus, J. &. (2006, December 05). High effectiveness of self-help programs after
drug addiction therapy. Retrieved from WebMD:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/547553
Vogel, H. K. (1998). Double trouble in recovery: Self-help for people with dual
diagnoses. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal , 356-365.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. (2007). The Effect of 12 Step Fellowship Based Participation
in Abstinence Among Dually Diagnosed Persons: A Two Year Longitudinal Study.
Retrieved from PubMed Central:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1797895/
www.soberrecovery.com. (2011). Retrieved from The Sober Recovery Community:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/