The article, which appeared on October 13th and was written by health columnist Robert Preidt, described the study, during which researchers surveyed 362 people regarding their self-initiated treatment for alcohol abuse and their results over a period of 16 years.

Overwhelming results showed that those who stuck with the Alcoholics Anonymous program along with their regular individual therapy sessions had a higher likelihood of continued remission, up to as long as 15 years later.

  That’s quite a pat on the back for AA, the first group of its kind and the model for many self-help groups that have followed.

The study also went on to note that those who joined Alcoholics Anonymous during their first year of help-seeking, along with the individual therapy, are even more likely to be successful in their campaign to combat alcoholism, again for as long as 15 years. 

Researcher Rudolf H. Moos, who’s a senior research career scientist with Veterans Affairs, added that ex-drinkers who chose to discontinue their association with AA had a higher chance of falling back into old habits. 

Obviously, the study points out, alcohol abusers gain something from both the one-on-one counseling offered by professional therapists and the support and guidance of fellow recovered and recovering alcoholics.  Because the study has ended, results for a period of longer than 15 years are not available, but researchers have every reason to believe that a continued combination of the two therapies will result in ongoing success.