Mutual Support Groups: Fact Sheet for Providers

By Kristin Blank and Gale Harris

Part of SAMHSA’s mission is to build resilience and help people with substance use disorders achieve recovery. In September, communities around the Nation celebrate Recovery Month (see Recovery Month Testimonials). For service providers, the work of promoting recovery continues year round.

To help providers support their clients, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment recently released a new issue of Substance Abuse in Brief Fact Sheet, Volume 5, Issue 1, “An Introduction to Mutual Support Groups for Alcohol and Drug Abuse.”

Mutual support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, are nonprofessional groups made up of members who share the same problem and voluntarily support one another in recovery. Though they do not provide formal treatment, they are one part of a recovery-oriented systems-of-care approach to substance abuse recovery.

The six-page fact sheet will help health care and social service providers learn about the effect of mutual support groups on recovery, become familiar with different types of mutual support groups, and make informed referrals.

Finding the Right Fit

Not every group is right for every client. Some groups focus on one abused drug. Certain clients may prefer a 12-step approach and others may not.

According to the fact sheet, service providers can do several things to help individuals find a group that works for them. They can:

• Learn about the different types of support groups, their philosophies, and whether they are locally active.
• Attend open meetings to gain firsthand experience with the groups and establish contacts who can work with providers to get clients to meetings.
• Inquire into a client’s experiences with mutual support groups, their concerns and misconceptions, and their personal beliefs.
• Start the conversation between a client and a support group contact person.
• Refer family members who may be affected by a client's substance use; doing so may encourage participation by providing social support.

Other Resources

The fact sheet provides a list of more than a dozen mutual support groups and their Web addresses, as well as additional SAMHSA materials, including a link to a Webcast entitled, “Mutual Support Groups: What Everyone Needs To Know.”

Online, “An Introduction to Mutual Support Groups for Alcohol and Drug Abuse” is available on SAMHSA's Web site . To order a free print copy, contact SAMHSA's Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) or 1-800-487-4889 (TDD). Request inventory number SMA08-4336.