According to a new study (full text here) by Dr John Kelly that will be published in the August edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (linked here) there is evidence to suggest that there are definite benefits for teens to attend meetings of the 12 step fellowship groups Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. The research shows that there are long-term benefits for teens to attend these meetings even if they stop going to them at some point. It is common practice for alcohol rehab centers in South Africa to encourage attendence at these fellowship meetings.

Attendance at a 12 step fellowship meeting like Narcotics Anonymous (SA link here) or Alcoholics Anonymous (SA link here) gives access to a social support network that encourages complete abstinence. Members are able to call on these support resources in times of stress as well as attend regular support meetings. The benefits of these meetings are well known for adults but this study shows benefits for adolescents as well. Attendence at 12 step meetings after graduating from an alcohol rehab center in South Africa is believed to improve both the quality and length of post-discharge abstinence.

The study focused on 160 adolescent inpatients (96 males, 64 females) of an American drug and alcohol rehab center. The team observed who was likely to attend the meetings and for how long they continued to attend.

"We found that patients who attended more AA and/or NA meetings in the first six months post-treatment had better longer term outcomes, but this early participation effect did not last forever – it weakened over time," said Kelly. "The best outcomes achieved into young adulthood were for those patients who continued to go to AA and/or NA. In terms of a real-world recovery metric, we found that for each AA/NA meeting that a youth attended they gained a subsequent two days of abstinence, independent of all other factors that were also associated with a better outcome."

He continues: "Given the need for social affiliation and peer-group acceptance outside of the family at this stage of life, peers can exert strong influence on the behavior of young people,” he noted. “When you couple this fact with the reality that most adolescents and young adults are experimenting with, or heavily using, alcohol and other drugs, it may be hard to find suitable peer contexts that can facilitate recovery. In fact, we know that most youth relapses are connected with social contexts where alcohol/drugs are present; unlike adults, youth rarely relapse alone. So, organizations such as AA/NA may provide support, and encourage and provide alternatively rewarding sober social activities."

This study provides academic support for the practice of sending teens to AA/NA meetings while they are in residential alcohol rehab centers in South Africa. Not only does it help them to maintain abstinence but it also addresses their need for affiliation and acceptance within a supportive and abstinent social context.