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There is more to addiction recovery than abstinence, say two UWindsor researchers who presented their work to the annual conference of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Boston.
Active involvement in such community-based groups as Alcoholics Anonymous provides a sense of purpose, and contributes to recovery much more than simply giving up the use of alcohol, say Terence Singh, a UWindsor psychology graduate student and his academic adviser, Dr. Kenneth Hart, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
“True recovery is a total life makeover,” says Singh, who co-authored a chapter on the psychology of addiction for the book, The Human Quest for Meaning. “It’s about thriving, not just surviving.”
Finding a sense of meaning in helping others overcome their problems isn’t a new concept, but it is one that is gaining even greater acceptance as an aid to addiction recovery, says Singh. As an Edmonton native, Singh decided to pursue graduate work at UWindsor because of its reputation as an influential emotion-focused therapy research centre.
Singh surveyed 66 adults who had been discharged two years prior from an alcohol treatment centre. Follow-up studies with these clients found that those more active in community support groups such as AA enjoyed higher abstinence rates and improved quality of life. The data also revealed that these clients did not suffer as many of the side effects usually reported by recovering addicts.
Study respondents reported improvements in emotional stability, societal functioning and interpersonal relationships. They were less of a burden on the health care and criminal justice systems, and were more likely to be working.
Singh was one of 15 addiction scholars invited to present research at a special APA session to honour early-career researchers. The invitation was issued by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Photo: Psychology professor Kenneth Hart and doctoral student Terence Singh say community involvement helps alcoholics recover from their addiction.
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