Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings could help with depression

Participants at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) could benefit from alleviation of depression according to new findings. Individuals who attended Alcoholics Anonymous meeting more frequently not only drank less, but also had fewer symptoms of depression.

John F. Kelly, PhD, associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Addiction Medicine says the study is the first to exam behavioral changes that occur from attending AA meetings, leading to the findings that attending meetings can also alleviate symptoms of depression. Kelly says, “Perhaps the social aspects of AA helps people feel better psychologically and emotionally as well as stop drinking.”

Alcoholics Anonymous can help with depression problems.

The Alcoholics Anonymous twelve step program is designed to promote well-being, just as abstaining from alcohol does, but the new findings show that attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings seems to relieve depression more quickly for those who attend AA meetings.

Data from the federally funded trial MATCH, designed to compare three treatment approaches for alcohol use disorder in more than 1,700 participants was analyzed. All of the individuals in the study were assigned to an alcohol treatment plan, but were also allowed to attend meetings at Alcoholics Anonymous. Information included how many meetings they attended, how much they drank, and reported symptoms of depression.

Kelly says, “Some critics of AA have claimed that the organization’s emphasis on ‘powerlessness’ against alcohol use and the need to work on ‘character defects’ cultivates a pessimistic world view…” However, the analysis revealed that in addition to less drinking, more frequent attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings also resulted in fewer symptoms of depression. The effect on helping with abstinence from alcohol from going to AA meetings, combined with help for depression is an important note for health care providers.

source: Massachusetts General Hospital

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Drug addiction treatment center too costly, Broward County auditor says

Broward agency disputes it’s overstaffed and calls for review by consultants Broward County taxpayers could be spending too much to run a recovery center for drug addicts. A scathing report by county auditors last week charged that treatment at the Broward Addiction Recovery Center is about twice as costly as the national average. Too few….

Anti-binge laws help slow drunken violence

Police say alcohol-fuelled violence is on the decline in bars and on city streets after the province introduced new liquor rules to discourage binge drinking. Provincial legislation launched last August prohibits happy hour specials after 8p.m., requires bars and pubs to charge a minimum drink price and forbids patrons from having more than two drinks….

Medical marijuana user who was denied liver transplant dies

SEATTLE — A man who was denied a liver transplant largely because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the symptoms of hepatitis C has died. Timothy Garon, 56, died Thursday at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center, said his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center,….

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction can be simply defined as a habitual and uncontrollable need for the intake of a liquid that is derived from a fermented fruit, grain or some other natural material. These liquids include wine, beer, rum, or any other hard liquor. The intake of alcohol is termed as addiction when an individual craves strongly….

Basing treatment on faith

At one time, Randy and Kim Cox had no idea they’d be dedicating their lives to a program like Rivers of Hope Ministries. They were missionaries based in Russia for 10 years before returning to the States, where they spent time both in Randy’s native Texas and Kim’s hometown of Prattville. In Russia, a country….