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

Top 3 Obstacles that Can Derail Your Recovery

Your recovery all starts with a decision to get sober and stay that way—but even the best decisions, backed by the most profound desire to remain in control can come to an end in some cases. While your recovery is ultimately up to you, there are some obstacles that you will most certainly face along….

Alcohol Addiction and Mothering

A friend of mine who is an accomplished psychologist and mother of two recently confessed something to me: she likes wine, a lot. After working all day with troubled adolescents, picking her girls up from school and making a dinner that loosely resembles a healthy meal, she drinks. Her daily consumption included one glass of….

What to Expect in Treatment Centers

In 2009, as many as 23.5 million Americans needed treatment for alcohol and drug addictions, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Of that number, only 11.2 percent or 2.6 million people actually sought out treatment. When considering the wide range of treatment centers available for both alcohol and drug addictions, anyone suffering from….

Cabbie reveals binge-drinking nightmare

Adelaide cabbie Avel Aretas reveals in this graphic account our city’s binge drinking nightmare: Adelaide is the Festival City, but there is one event we should not be proud of – the Adelaide Binge Drinking Festival. It is held every Friday and Saturday night and doesn’t discriminate, involving everyone from 12-year-olds to 60-year-olds, from the….

Understanding Why People Leave Drug Treatment

If you or a loved one is addicted to drugs and enters into treatment it’s important that you understand that not all types of drug treatment are effective for all people and often times people leave drug treatment for a number of different reasons that are and are not always related to their addiction. The….