Do addiction support groups help, and if so, how?
When Paul decided it was time to get his life together and put addiction behind him, he thought carefully about how to successfully quit drinking and drugging.
Going to his first AA meeting was awkward. He tried Celebrate Recovery, too. Honestly, he felt kind of like an outsider—and he wasn’t sure if he’d found the right place.
Paul began to wonder, “do addiction support groups even help?”
This page is designed to help answer the question,
“Do addiction support groups help?”
The short answer is yes. Support groups like AA, NA, CR, SM, or Resilient Recovery can be very helpful to people who want to quit using drugs and alcohol.
But the brand of support group probably doesn’t matter as much as you might think.
Research suggests that all support groups work equally well.
The finding that all support groups work, and work equally well is called the Dodo Verdict by the scientists who study the success rate of different forms of psychological help.
Why the brand of support group doesn’t matter.
It’s because common elements are present in all support groups. These common elements are the reason that support groups of any type are effective.
In fact, the specific elements of a group like a format, the readings, the philosophy, etc do very little to promote change. Some experts suggest that the unique or specific aspects of a form of psychological help only account for 5% of the change.
What are these common elements that help a person get and stay sober?
There are 6 universal persuasion principles that are the common elements found in all support groups.
When people attend a support group, they are persuaded to choose sobriety through these 6 persuasion principles.
Social Psychologist, Dr. Cialdinni, has spent a career uncovering these 6 universal persuasion principles.
This video gives some background on the six principles. Read below to see how each principle may explain WHY a support group can help persuade us to get and stay sober.
What are Cialdini’s 6 persuasion principles?
(And how are they present in support groups?)
1) Gift-giving (Reciprocity).
We all tend to say "yes" after receiving a gift. This is a hard and fast rule of social interaction. This is why salespeople often provide small giveaways like key chains and pens. It is also the reason they offer special discounts. In an example from Dr. Cialdinni’s field observations, he saw that when a car salesperson offered prospective buyers a simple Coke-a-Cola, the buyers were more likely to purchase a vehicle.
The salespeople seemed to understand the principle of gift-giving because they would make a show of asking for change from a co-worker. Getting change from a co-worker sent the message that the coke was a gift from the salesperson. Surprisingly the gift of a relatively inexpensive Coke increased sales because prospective buyers wanted to give back to someone who first gave to them.
In a support group, you will receive many gifts. You will be offered friendship, acceptance, and support. In a faith-based support group like Resilient Recovery Group, you will also get a reminder of God's forgiveness, which is the best gift of all. Gift-giving can motivate you to say "yes" to sobriety.
2) No One Likes Losing (Scarcity).
Psychologists have repeatedly found that people will work harder to prevent losing something than they will to gain something. Whether we are talking about $60 dollars or 60 days of sobriety, people just don’t like losing.
Moreover, people place a higher value on things that are scarce, or hard-to-get.
Sobriety itself can be seen as a scarcity—something that is hard to get.
How can a support group help you mobilize the power of this principle of social persuasion? A support group can help you see examples of hard-to-get improvements in the quality of life that are only possible through sobriety. The quality of the people, the stories, the support, and the relationships found in a support group can be found nowhere else.
3) Expert Guides (Authority).
We often listen to the voices of experts. They can be very persuasive.
When it comes to getting help, we need expert guides. Support groups are filled with experts-- people who have made real changes and have stuck with those changes. If you want to leverage this persuasion technique to help your own sobriety, try getting a sponsor. A sponsor is someone who has expert knowledge of what it takes to get and stay sober.
In a faith-based recovery group like Resilient, we also call upon the authority of scripture and Christ’s body—the church. Scripture is God-breathed and useful. It is alive and active. And people have been getting sober through the church since it began.
4) Accountability (commitment consistency).
When we make a voluntary and public commitment to change, we will often stick with it. Most support group members respect your freedom to choose or not to choose sobriety. Support groups also give you an opportunity to talk about your reasons to get sober and your goals for your life moving forward. Each of these opportunities to speak is a public commitment. And these public commitments are voluntary, which means they are likely to stick.
You can further harness the power of accountability by resolving to check in with people who support your sobriety. They can be members of your group or others who are willing to listen.
5) Fellowship (Liking).
It is easier to make a change when we feel liked and accepted. You will fit in at a support group because you will find other people who are just like you. Importantly, you will be liked by this group. Your experiences and stories won’t cause people to reject you. Instead, you will receive praise and encouragement.
Being around people who like you is tremendously motivating. If you want to use the power of fellowship in your support group, start by noticing, complimenting, and praising others. Liking one another is contagious and it will come back to you!
6) Positive peer pressure (Consensus).
Our old peer group modeled drinking and using—and everything that goes along with that. It made addiction seem normal, acceptable, and common. But, peer pressure can also be good! Support groups give us a new peer group. This peer group supports our decision to change, and won't pressure us to drink or use drugs.
By choosing to affiliate with sober people, we will naturally be affected by them. We will take on some of their attitudes and habits. We will feel a positive and healthy desire to remain in the group by staying sober. We may also feel a God-pleasing desire to lift up others and support them. All of this contributes to a culture of grace-filled sobriety. Embrace it! We are not meant to live alone or be sober alone. You can have the positive power of peer pressure to help you stay sober.
