The authors studied 100 impaired physicians who were successfully
treated in a program that combined professionally directed
psychotherapeutic treatment and peer-led self-help. An average of 33.4
months after admission they all reported being abstinent and rated
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as more important to their recovery than
professionally directed modalities. Feelings of affiliativeness to AA,
which were very high, were strong predictors of the respondents' perceived
support for their recovery. These feelings, and an identification with the
role of care giver in addiction treatment, appeared to be central to their
recovery process.
Abstract Teaser