As USA Today reported in 2020, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), has long been criticized for not having any medical research to back up its efficacy. However, a new study published by the medical journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, reverses a 2006 study by now concluding that AA and similar twelve step facilitation (TSF) programs interventions usually produced higher rates of continuous abstinence than the other established treatments investigated.
This study purposes that, “AA/TSF may be superior to other treatments for increasing the percentage of days of abstinence, particularly in the longer‐term. AA/TSF probably performs as well as other treatments for reducing the intensity of drinking (of alcohol). AA/TSF probably performs as well as other treatments for alcohol‐related consequences and addiction severity. Four of the five economics studies found substantial cost‐saving benefits for AA/TSF, which indicate that AA/TSF interventions probably reduce healthcare costs substantially.
In conclusion, clinically‐delivered TSF interventions designed to increase AA participation usually lead to better outcomes over the subsequent months to years in terms of producing higher rates of continuous abstinence. This effect is achieved largely by fostering increased AA participation beyond the end of the TSF intervention. AA/TSF will probably produce substantial healthcare cost savings while simultaneously improving alcohol abstinence.”
Treatment such as this is an extremely effective tool that can be easily used by DUI defense lawyers in plea negotiations and sentencing arguments as alternatives to convictions and/or severe punishment. So, perhaps this inexpensive treatment that is easy to find most places in the world may, at the very least, be worth trying. For more information, click on the embedded links above.
About the Author: Steven Oberman has been licensed in Tennessee since 1980, and successfully defended over 2,500 DUI defendants. Among the many honors bestowed upon him, Steve served as Dean of the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. (NCDD) and currently serves as chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers DUI Committee. Steve was the first lawyer in Tennessee to be Board Certified as a DUI Defense Specialist by the NCDD.
He is the author of DUI: The Crime & Consequences in Tennessee, updated annually since 1991 (Thomson-West), and co-author with Lawrence Taylor of the national treatise, Drunk Driving Defense, 8th edition (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen). Steve has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Law School since 1993 and has received a number of prestigious awards for his faculty contributions. He is a popular international speaker, having spoken at legal seminars in 30 states, the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. After being named a Fulbright Scholar, Steve was honored to teach as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Latvia Law School in the capital city of Riga, Latvia during the Spring Semester of 2019. If you would like to contact the author, please visit his website.
