Why 12 Steps

Over 100,000 people in Massachusetts were admitted for substance use treatment in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available (Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, 2018).
Many more suffer with untreated addiction and alcoholism. Of particular concern is the devastating impact the opioid crisis has had on our state. Over the past decade, opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts have risen over 300% (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2021).

There is a solution.

The 12 Steps offers life-long recovery and a drastically improved quality of life to those who seek it, and current research demonstrates this.

According to a recent comprehensive review of the available research, 12 Steps has consistently outperformed other treatment methods in producing continuous, long-term sobriety (Kelly et al., 2020).
12 Steps markedly decreases symptoms of depression (Worley et al., 2012).
12 Steps leads to greater improvements in physical health, mental health, and subjective quality of life than other treatment modalities (Mokhtari et al., 2020).

Let’s make it available to as many people as possible.

Refrences

Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. (2018, July 6). Geographic fact sheets.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health. https://www.mass.gov/doc/admissions-statistics-statewide/download

Kelly, J. F., Abry, A., Ferri, M., & Humphreys, K. (2020). Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Distillation of a 2020 Cochrane Review for Clinicians and Policy Makers. Alcohol & Alcoholism, 55(6), 641.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2021, May). Data brief: Opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts residents. https://www.mass.gov/doc/opioid-related-overdose-deaths-among-ma-residents-may-2021/download

Mokhtari, M. R., Alavi, M., Pahlavanzadeh, S., Weimand, B. M., Visentin, D., & Cleary, M. (2020). Comparison of the effectiveness of a 12-step substance use recovery program on quality of life. Nursing & Health Sciences, 22(2), 390–397.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, July 10). Treatment and recovery. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery

Worley, M. J., Tate, S. R., & Brown, S. A. (2012). Mediational relations between 12-Step attendance, depression and substance use in patients with comorbid substance dependence and major depression. Addiction, 107(11), 1974–1983.