Keeping away from addictive substances is a tough one for addicts and those trying to maintain sobriety may be better off with face-to-face meetings than online support groups, a research has suggested.
Presented at American Psychological Association’s 123rd Annual Convention, the study makes a case in favour of attending traditional face-to-face meetings over online support groups like the one present on Facebook and other such social networking sites.
Donald S. Grant, PhD, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, first author and creator of the study revealed during the presentation that their study focused on understanding the strengths and weakness of online versus face-to-face sobriety support.
For their study researchers recruited 196 adults (141 female, 55 male) who were using both in-person and online sobriety support systems. Over 90 per cent of the study participants reported having been in recovery for more than a year. Participants were asked to complete a survey designed to measure their beliefs, behaviors and opinions regarding both face-to-face and online sobriety support systems.
From the survey, researchers found that participants had a preference for face-to-face meetings; however, there was an uptick in online use of social networking support groups which directly reflected in a corresponding decreased presence in meeting attendance.
Despite the uptick in online use, researchers found that individuals who attended more meetings had greater success in achieving and maintaining sobriety.
According to researchers one of the main reasons why online support programmes had a lower success rate than face-to-face meetings was that participants were less likely to be dishonest in meetings than online.
A commitment to honesty is a bedrock principle of 12-step programs, including Alcoholics Anonymous, and a tendency toward dishonesty could jeopardize recovery.
Though this particular facet didn’t have any bearing on the study, researchers said that one of the things that surprised them was that participants were significantly more likely to be drunk or high during in-person meetings than while engaging online. Researchers say that the results may make sense as the only requirement for Alcoholics Anonymous membership is a desire to stop drinking. First-timers, those who have relapsed and individuals wishing to be sober but still struggling are all welcome to attend.
Researchers say that though their findings do not suggest trend whereby addicts are making a significant shift from face-to-face meetings to online support groups, they say that their findings do suggest that a move in that direction is happening and it is important to understand what that can mean for outcomes of individuals seeking help.
“With more and more people engaging in online sobriety support, the recovering community and professionals alike wonder what impact these modern platforms could have on both the future of Alcoholics Anonymous and its membership,” said Grant. “When comparing the short amount of time online sobriety support has even been accessible to the number of those participants currently engaging with it, the likelihood that its popularity will only grow seems probable.”
