Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, is a fellowship of men and women with one goal: to help one another stay sober. It's free to join. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking. AA, however, is not for everyone. While some people may not have the desire to be part of a fellowship, which can be very successful for some, AA does have its share of shortcomings.
Statistics
In a 2007 study published in the journal "Alcohol and Alcoholism," lead author S.E. Mueller studied the relapse rate for alcohol-dependent people in self-help groups including AA. While there was a lower relapse rate for those in AA after one month, the difference leveled off in the following months. Further, levels of social functioning significantly improved for those in a self-help group as well as for those who were not.
Effect Treatments
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA, explains that addiction is a complex illness and is difficult to treat. But they do list principles of effective treatment. While therapy is important, there are several alternatives to joining a fellowship like AA. In fact, NIDA insists that no single treatment is appropriate for everyone. What you need to consider when your goal is to achieve sobriety is that counseling is one of the most common forms of treatment; as is medication, especially combined with therapy, treating other disorders, such as depression and mood swings, and remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time.
Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavior therapy, CBT, is one of the most commonly used therapeutic models for treating addiction. In CBT, a therapist will help you change your behaviors and attitudes towards drinking. Family therapy, according to NIDA, is another effective treatment approach. In family and couples therapy, loved ones are educated about addiction. Also, you can work on damage your drinking caused to the family unit and each relationship.
Group Therapy
Group therapy can be extraordinarily helpful in achieving sobriety. With other recovering peers, you have the opportunity to share information about how to stay sober, including changing friends and avoiding places that cause craving. While you may not like the philosophy of AA, group therapy is not a fellowship. Often, group therapy organizations discourage carrying on personal relationships with group members.
Medications
As NIDA indicates, medication, especially combined with therapy, is an important part of alcohol dependence treatment. Naltrexone has been approved by the FDA to treat alcoholism. Naltrexone blocks receptors in the brain that are involved with rewarding the effects of alcohol. Topiramate, a medication used to treat seizure disorders, can also be used for the management of alcohol dependence, according to the National Institutes of Health. In 2007, the "Journal of the American Medical Association" published a study by lead author Bankole A. Johnson, MD, indicating that topiramate was more effective than a placebo at reducing the number of heavy drinking days.
