Mutual help groups (often referred to as “self-help” groups) are widely available in the United States and many places across the world for the treatment of substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder.
Mutual help groups have a number of potential benefits including:
- Providing social support
- Providing reinforcement for recovery goals
- Teaching skills in support of recovery
- Providing structure and a drug-free activity
Research emphasizes that attendance alone is less effective than active engagement in mutual help. Specifically, activities like having a “sponsor” (someone also in recovery who can serve as a mentor and support), utilizing tools and skills (e.g., following “the steps”), and other engagement (e.g., organizing events, making coffee) are associated with better outcomes.
Mutual help can, however, be a challenge for people with opioid use disorder in particular because of the perception in many mutual help communities that medication is inappropriate for substance use disorder treatment and that it equates to “replacing a drug with a drug.” Thus, people receiving medications such as buprenorphine can feel stigmatized and rejected by this community. Not all meetings will emphasize this perspective, and finding a meeting that fits the person is an essential step in using mutual help effectively.
Selection of mutual help groups should be based on the individual’s preference. There are many types of mutual help groups, such as those targeted to specific subgroups (e.g., youth/young adults, professionals, emergency responders/law enforcement, women) and those that allow family members and other concerned significant others. Individual mutual help groups will also vary in the level of emphasis on spirituality and perspectives on medication acceptability.
