{ "schema_version": "uw.editorial_geo.v1", "representation_profile": "lossless_source_sections", "local_stage_only": true, "catalog_id": "DEP-11-N11", "article_index": "DEP-11-N11", "language": "en", "headline": "Twelve Steps, AA, and Other Groups", "description": "Twelve Steps, AA, and Other Groups", "short_answer": "For some people, the first useful thing about a mutual-help meeting is hearing that they can speak about a difficulty without defending themselves or promising to “get it right forever.” Repeated meetings can offer other people's experience, support between clinical visits, and a way to learn which kind of conversation fits. Yet “group” covers different programs. An Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a clinician's work to help someone engage with it, a Narcotics Anonymous fellowship, and a secular group are not the same treatment merely because their aims overlap.\n\nIf there is an immediate threat to life, an overdose, a seizure, marked confusion, severe alcohol withdrawal, or a danger of harming yourself or another person, seek local emergency medical help now, before looking for a meeting or considering the questions at the end. When withdrawal follows regular alcohol use, the [NHS warns that stopping suddenly can be dangerous and calls for medical assessment](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/). A group cannot manage an emergency or replace a safe treatment plan. Violence calls for separate protection for the person at risk, whether or not anyone attends meetings.", "short_answer_source": { "kind": "opening_after_h1", "role": "lead", "start_utf16": 38, "end_utf16": 1234, "sha256_utf8": "bc556fa3a04d918cc65a28f8f6510391349ddbb06a2543ba78206717b0b8f840" }, "headline_source": { "role": "h1_heading", "start_utf16": 2, "end_utf16": 36, "sha256_utf8": "af6427240027069292f25700d6aa3782658acac384a44b6ee785cc4139e17229" }, "entities": [], "questions": [ { "q": "1. What happens at an AA meeting", "a": "Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, is a mutual-help fellowship for people who want to stop drinking. Members meet, share experience, and support one another. A meeting chair is a member, not necessarily a doctor or therapist. Formats vary: a discussion, one person's account, or reading program literature. [AA Great Britain's official description](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/get-help-now/newcomers/meeting-information/aa-meetings/) distinguishes open meetings, which observers may attend, from closed ones for people with a drinking problem and a wish to stop. It also describes meetings without required fees and a newcomer's right simply to listen. This is the organization's account of its practice, not an independent outcome study or a guarantee about every local meeting.\n\nThe program's name refers to twelve steps: members consider their drinking problem, support from others, and changes in their own lives. Understanding that does not require reproducing the protected wording of all the steps. Walking into a room does not itself give someone a medical diagnosis, and no one has to tell their whole story in public. An adult remains free to return, pause, or try another meeting.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 1239, "end_utf16": 1271, "sha256_utf8": "f897b28c815c81c3b11b787cbbcc4bec7651457d7adb58b0a992a4a4cb4dff36" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 1273, "end_utf16": 2470, "sha256_utf8": "0c8aac573214e1b524d2b41f411053917d56e663fde393bf540bf42a3605ca7e" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0005", "p0006" ], "source_segment_index": 1 }, { "q": "2. Clinical TSF is something different", "a": "**Twelve-Step Facilitation (TSF)** is not another name for an ordinary AA meeting. It is structured work with a trained professional to help a person become familiar with twelve-step mutual help and, if it suits them, take part. [NIAAA describes TSF as a clinical approach to increasing group involvement](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options). Medical assessment, psychological care, prescribed medication, and peer meetings may be combined in an individual plan. A seasoned AA member does not thereby become a prescriber.\n\nThis distinction matters when reading research. If investigators compared professionally delivered TSF with another therapy, the entire difference cannot be attributed to dropping in at any meeting. A clinical program has a practitioner, defined content, follow-up, and a specified comparator. A separate voluntary peer group has a different mix of people and participation.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 2475, "end_utf16": 2513, "sha256_utf8": "e9e28a904ac93a1a4f7560fa302ef753b3772156d8e2b59b2cd9b90733434d12" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 2515, "end_utf16": 3509, "sha256_utf8": "6d649e7ba6443258a9d7473797f60ad98f95f01f2af46d0cb90813de49b20ee8" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0008", "p0009" ], "source_segment_index": 2 }, { "q": "3. What the Cochrane review actually found", "a": "The [2020 Cochrane systematic review](https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD012880_alcoholics-anonymous-aa-and-other-12-step-programs-alcohol-use-disorder) included 27 studies with 10,565 non-coerced adults with alcohol use disorder. Its literature search ended on 2 August 2019. The studies differed in design, how standardized TSF was, and what it was compared with; comparators included cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and other TSF variants. An “average result” makes little sense without identifying the comparison and outcome.\n\nIn two randomized or quasi-randomized studies involving 1,936 participants, **manualized AA/TSF**, compared with clinical treatments based on a different approach, increased the likelihood of continuous alcohol abstinence at twelve months: risk ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.42. Cochrane rated the certainty high for this specific outcome and comparison, and reported a consistent direction at 24 and 36 months. This is a relative group-level estimate, not a personal promise or the “success rate of any meeting.”\n\nOther outcomes tell a more qualified story. At twelve months, drinking intensity and alcohol-related consequences were broadly similar to those seen with the other studied clinical treatments; certainty differed by outcome. Some longer-term comparisons favoured AA/TSF for the percentage of days abstinent, but certainty there was very low. Less standardized AA/TSF may perform as well as other established treatments, on weaker evidence. A person can discuss abstinence and other meaningful changes in health and daily life with a clinician without treating one research endpoint as a test of personal worth.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 3514, "end_utf16": 3556, "sha256_utf8": "77b838ed06b7214a424900233212d5d39279bc7d45811cf2ee9ab0b323d51175" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 3558, "end_utf16": 5259, "sha256_utf8": "56dd5ad320561a8a14272983cc518d35dff155d0a5ae5c9e6422f8bf4d5023b7" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0011", "p0012", "p0013" ], "source_segment_index": 3 }, { "q": "4. What the review does not promise", "a": "Cochrane's authors chiefly connect the stronger continuous-abstinence result with clinical TSF that fostered AA participation after the professional intervention ended. The 27 studies do not show that everyone must attend AA, that other approaches fail, or that one meeting can replace assessment and treatment. Participants had an **alcohol** use disorder; the finding cannot simply be exported to Narcotics Anonymous, other substances, adolescents, or coerced attendance.\n\nFour of the review's five economic studies reported substantial healthcare cost savings. These were findings in the systems and calculations studied, not a promise that help will be inexpensive in a particular city. Differences in participants, allocation methods, loss to follow-up, and program duration also limit inference. Evidence that one path can help is an option, not a moral warrant to demand that path of everyone.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 5264, "end_utf16": 5299, "sha256_utf8": "289bd5ade05145df4810e10aecf62e0ad6e65a33408392b6cd85863c5eb75949" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 5301, "end_utf16": 6201, "sha256_utf8": "6f9e8b44f5910fbf431060a857bb0c83d1c3a97d00af26a82f167dd0d02d1136" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0015", "p0016" ], "source_segment_index": 4 }, { "q": "5. Narcotics Anonymous is a separate fellowship", "a": "[Narcotics Anonymous (NA) describes itself](https://na.org/about-the-na-program/) as a separate, free peer fellowship for people seeking to stop drug use. Its approach also uses twelve steps, but is not limited to one drug. NA is not a medical service. Its own description helps explain whom the format is for; it does not establish the same effect size found for AA/TSF in alcohol use disorder. Drug use alone is also not a diagnosis.\n\nPrescribed medicine deserves particular care. [NA World Services says](https://na.org/service-material/bulletins/) it removed an older bulletin about replacement treatment in 2026 because it no longer reflected current collective views; how to welcome members receiving medication treatment remains under discussion. This does not make every local meeting's attitude uniform. A fellow member's opinion is not a reason to stop a prescribed medicine on one's own or begin a hazardous withdrawal. For the narrower issue of **opioid-use-disorder diagnosis**, the [CDC explains](https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/hcp/clinical-care/opioid-use-disorder-diagnosis.html) that tolerance and withdrawal during opioid use solely under appropriate medical supervision do not count as those diagnostic criteria. That is neither a home test nor a rule for every medicine; a qualified clinician must assess the situation.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 6206, "end_utf16": 6253, "sha256_utf8": "738a0dc04c05e98054c426b7b6e7f8fb5bbb0810955ccae30222ec10bb0f453d" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 6255, "end_utf16": 7603, "sha256_utf8": "3b2ca29a179b6b4b49946bcacb183a2300813087c81d1a562286eb6022315605" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0018", "p0019" ], "source_segment_index": 5 }, { "q": "6. Secular mutual-help options also exist", "a": "Someone uncomfortable with “Higher Power” language can look for another AA meeting or a secular alternative. [SMART Recovery describes itself](https://smartrecovery.org/what-is-smart-recovery) as a secular mutual-support and self-management program in which participants choose their own goals and tools. Other formats include LifeRing and Women for Sobriety. Their presence in one country says nothing about availability near a particular reader. An organizer's description explains a program, but does not by itself prove that it works better or is accessible to everyone.\n\nThe [PAL study published in 2026](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40750480/) followed 1,152 U.S. adults with a lifetime alcohol use disorder who were already attending Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART, or a twelve-step group. In surveys at baseline, six months, and twelve months, greater involvement was associated with better alcohol outcomes; after adjustment, the choice of group type itself was not associated with outcome differences. This was **observation of people who had chosen their groups**, not random allocation among programs. It supports taking alternatives seriously, but cannot prove exact equivalence or a causal benefit for every person. The authors specifically caution that SMART varies over time and across places. These are also alcohol findings, not evidence of NA's effect on other drug outcomes.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 7608, "end_utf16": 7649, "sha256_utf8": "375ca6c4f89e43962a393bf3739850ff50387162e9af1c1413b2e7719b0ce811" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 7651, "end_utf16": 9053, "sha256_utf8": "9e58dc0982fc492f245dc0e9afb8e81a527ea1b072aad5c7624e58fffefcf9fe" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0021", "p0022" ], "source_segment_index": 6 }, { "q": "7. Spiritual language and freedom of choice", "a": "AA uses words such as “God” and “Higher Power,” and some meetings end in prayer. AA Great Britain explicitly says religious belief is not required to attend. People understand that language through different traditions, or in nonreligious ways; a nonbeliever need not pretend to believe to seek help. Still, a particular local meeting may feel too religious, crowded, or otherwise wrong for someone. Such an experience is not evidence of weak will, and it does not take away the right to seek another setting.\n\nFor United Wisdom, respect for different traditions does not mean claiming that all groups share one theology. Someone may find meaning in connection, work, family, or spiritual practice, or may not yet have words for meaning at all. Belief, “perfect motivation,” and a public pledge of abstinence are not prerequisites for professional help. A group can be judged by whether it respects a person's choice to speak or be silent, honors boundaries, and supports a life plan the person can own.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 9058, "end_utf16": 9101, "sha256_utf8": "3fd682402aabaad810d6fb3f6f7d55919a45667d48e5a32b5b98bf1dac22c2ab" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 9103, "end_utf16": 10106, "sha256_utf8": "4c4d49d91aa09a2a90a76203fa41fe5a9f0d485575d1e47630d9927429b18c6b" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0024", "p0025" ], "source_segment_index": 7 }, { "q": "8. A meeting alongside care, not in place of it", "a": "Mutual help can offer contact between medical visits and ease isolation, but it cannot assess hazardous withdrawal, interactions between substances, depression, or other health conditions. A professional plan may include medication, psychological treatment, and follow-up; [NIAAA discusses these alongside mutual support](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options). Someone who is not ready for a group can still seek a clinical assessment. Someone who likes a group need not give up their clinician.\n\nWith an adult's consent, a loved one can help find information, provide transport, or offer support after a meeting. They cannot be made responsible for another person's abstinence; checking a phone, money, or attendance can violate boundaries and safety. Children must not be given the job of monitoring or treating a parent, or “saving” them. Threats and violence require protection for the affected person in their own right; somebody else's group attendance does not ensure safety at home.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 10111, "end_utf16": 10158, "sha256_utf8": "425a72341b4012b6d197e30eec8f4f68c43d0d533e4a351e33b096a2b000750d" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 10160, "end_utf16": 11245, "sha256_utf8": "a0cbd7a5404b80a438fe69ac426cd40e009eda2842dc63aab8bbd9cd073440c0" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0027", "p0028" ], "source_segment_index": 8 }, { "q": "9. How to check a particular meeting", "a": "Start with real conditions rather than the fame of a name. Find out whether the meeting currently operates, whether it is in person, online, or by phone, what language it uses, whether it welcomes newcomers and people of your age, and whether access and transport are feasible. Ask about fees or optional contributions, any registration, and waiting. For a remote meeting, check the displayed name, camera expectations, recording rules, and contact methods. Anonymity is a community principle, not absolute protection against another participant's actions or a digital platform's features. You may choose not to share personal details at first.\n\nIf you have prescribed treatment, ask about local participation expectations and take unexpected medication advice back to your treating clinician. When seeking clinical care, separately check cost, waiting time, privacy, language, and when an actual consultation starts: being on a list is not receiving care. There is no single international service this article can honestly promise to every reader.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 11250, "end_utf16": 11286, "sha256_utf8": "73ceed604b10c4a2a02ac0d23f9fdbc2b86a34d787d6f9b196819fdb3f127749" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 11288, "end_utf16": 12336, "sha256_utf8": "54519522f3bacd422ad5ed2396379e5a22aa2086ac95732fd3f09d6e6749c2db" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0030", "p0031" ], "source_segment_index": 9 }, { "q": "10. A small next step without a lifelong commitment", "a": "If there is no immediate danger, identify one feasible mutual-help format and one route to professional assessment, check their current terms, and contact whichever is possible now. A first meeting is not a contract for years; finding a better-fitting group or pausing is permissible. If help is needed before the next meeting, contact a local medical service. Later, assess whether the mix of support and care helps you protect health, relationships, and your ability to make your own decisions, rather than whether your beliefs are “correct.”", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 12341, "end_utf16": 12392, "sha256_utf8": "02bb8dbf04cbf2cd8a6706a0d9af07883632aafe9e0198b8073df287493ef0c8" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 12394, "end_utf16": 12938, "sha256_utf8": "dd890f1c39a81635b6eaaa20f0fc0499d874b1321a39448165229f4099ec05c5" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0033" ], "source_segment_index": 10 }, { "q": "Five optional questions about what is already known", "a": "You may skip these. Do not test a limit of use, abruptly stop alcohol or prescribed medicine, enter an unsafe situation, or keep a journal as a condition of answering or getting help.\n\n1. Do you already know signs that call for prompt medical assessment for you or someone close to you, especially from a past alcohol withdrawal?\n2. Which meeting format, language, and time are realistically accessible without compromising safety?\n3. Would you like to listen in a twelve-step group, prefer a secular form, or are you unsure?\n4. Which personal boundaries and privacy conditions already matter to you, especially online?\n5. Which qualified-care contact do you already know if a group cannot answer a medical question?", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 12943, "end_utf16": 12994, "sha256_utf8": "7c73c177498f6a3d6234cb6b0d9889d88c7222fe78832242ba943d6f2773979e" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 12996, "end_utf16": 13712, "sha256_utf8": "cd8e7161abc75460e895a1789594d9481abbf7a5eee18b54e50ba2071307c5a1" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0035", "p0036" ], "source_segment_index": 11 }, { "q": "Sources and limits of use", "a": "1. Kelly, Humphreys, Ferri. [*Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder*](https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD012880_alcoholics-anonymous-aa-and-other-12-step-programs-alcohol-use-disorder). Public summary of a Cochrane systematic review, 11 March 2020; search through 2 August 2019. Adult alcohol-use-disorder findings do not transfer to all groups or substances.\n2. Zemore et al. [*Second-wave mutual-help groups*](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40750480/). *International Journal of Drug Policy*, January 2026, online 31 July 2025. Author abstract of a longitudinal observational study of U.S. adults already attending groups, not randomized proof of equal effectiveness.\n3. Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain. [*AA meetings*](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/get-help-now/newcomers/meeting-information/aa-meetings/). Official format description; publication date not stated. Neither independent effectiveness research nor a guarantee of any local meeting's rules.\n4. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. [*About the NA Program*](https://na.org/about-the-na-program/). Official description; publication date not stated. It does not establish a clinical effect.\n5. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. [*World Services Bulletins*](https://na.org/service-material/bulletins/). Current page on the withdrawal of an old bulletin after 2026 discussion and the continuing question of medication treatment; not prescribing guidance.\n6. SMART Recovery USA. [*What is SMART Recovery?*](https://smartrecovery.org/what-is-smart-recovery). Official account of a secular approach; content date not established, and no independent effectiveness evaluation on that page.\n7. NIAAA. [*Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options*](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options). Official U.S. material; content date not stated. Distinguishes TSF from mutual help and discusses combining care; U.S. access is not assumed elsewhere.\n8. NHS. [*Alcohol-use disorder*](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/). Official UK page last reviewed 24 April 2026. Supports warning about sudden alcohol withdrawal and seeking medical help; UK contacts are not global.\n9. CDC. [*Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis*](https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/hcp/clinical-care/opioid-use-disorder-diagnosis.html). U.S. clinical page dated 16 April 2024. Its narrow clarification about tolerance and withdrawal under appropriate medical supervision is not a self-diagnosis guide.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 13717, "end_utf16": 13742, "sha256_utf8": "ab921bf155bc70199d92c701e9edb094314ec000b2f20e6a8aa05c541d3a5e24" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 13744, "end_utf16": 16336, "sha256_utf8": "684971d8b7f1105c28c4ac50b21ca468a8b1077fc379100e2cd8550e8e858bae" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0038" ], "source_segment_index": 12 }, { "q": "Topics", "a": "twelve steps; Alcoholics Anonymous; Narcotics Anonymous; mutual help; Twelve-Step Facilitation; SMART Recovery; alcohol use disorder; secular groups; evidence of support; spiritual language; confidentiality; choosing support.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 16341, "end_utf16": 16347, "sha256_utf8": "e22820fcf5cd90e3fdd99a7569e0ee2f30eb7ebadfb2fe4d159b30c166ff81b7" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 16349, "end_utf16": 16574, "sha256_utf8": "fd66cd5d2f593e2f2c3c05e80657a61be9d41046ce8d678c4075718a45207400" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0040" ], "source_segment_index": 13 }, { "q": "Authors", "a": "Andrey Zarinsh — author and founder of United Wisdom. He explores inner transformation, the unity of traditions, intercultural dialogue, and contemporary spiritual discipline. Instagram: @andrey.zarinsh.\n\nMaria Evilkut — co-author of United Wisdom. Alongside her research work, she seeks to test these ideas in practice and observe how principles of unity and mutual understanding work in real life between people and cultures. Instagram: @ilkutki.\n\nContent checked: 14 October 2026. Language version: EN.", "source_spans": [ { "role": "h2_heading", "start_utf16": 16579, "end_utf16": 16586, "sha256_utf8": "2c00c9aaa72c717ad6d901a09c4d698a68b2e9740be3769e0af7d6bd85d72d5d" }, { "role": "h2_answer", "start_utf16": 16588, "end_utf16": 17093, "sha256_utf8": "c29d4c6caa59f3673a75a34bd712a92a57c4284c205bbf241da095499cb26ab0" } ], "block_ids": [ "p0042", "p0043", "p0044" ], "source_segment_index": 14 } ], "claims": [], "claims_policy": "no_reclassified_claims", "sources": [ { "id": "src_7c21d186f34ec948", "title": "*Alcohol-use disorder*", "url": "https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 924, "end_utf16": 1061, "sha256_utf8": "c6517e66e843b9288d5ae5cd09c53998897874db2f1954a4a5f3e7bf38b8f31a" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 15806, "end_utf16": 15883, "sha256_utf8": "479675302d3674775b9120acb44c2f924ff6d17ac8d620ccbc06d3206162a1e6" } ], "read_scope": "8. NHS. [*Alcohol-use disorder*](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/). Official UK page last reviewed 24 April 2026. Supports warning about sudden alcohol withdrawal and seeking medical help; UK contacts are not global.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 15798, "end_utf16": 16033, "sha256_utf8": "51ba204b98413bb88e3cd08b42ef5a4c917a6209b2eb591466f18536b60b7cd1" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_28bdb75388e87f1a", "title": "*AA meetings*", "url": "https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/get-help-now/newcomers/meeting-information/aa-meetings/", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 1574, "end_utf16": 1712, "sha256_utf8": "bc32c052a1b94b5506a0aa2023653efbab509b950146e1b12baf7eb153a902c2" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 14495, "end_utf16": 14607, "sha256_utf8": "bfe22d26af19c25a22ff4bb0893c32834e4c9c7420682f6cfad4de552a167dd0" } ], "read_scope": "3. Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain. [*AA meetings*](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/get-help-now/newcomers/meeting-information/aa-meetings/). Official format description; publication date not stated. Neither independent effectiveness research nor a guarantee of any local meeting's rules.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 14456, "end_utf16": 14755, "sha256_utf8": "52ccc01756fb6cfe6463ce9dc8c0811f781a80c64c28cd54696149fc4925f0b8" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_54b547d8c5f90e61", "title": "*Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options*", "url": "https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 2744, "end_utf16": 2953, "sha256_utf8": "b61494b976e90afb0a6232faa63b429c34790d0ac81617cd427a12986e27d3c6" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 10433, "end_utf16": 10614, "sha256_utf8": "e0f4ee5b7e6aec5f41db1213484cbbd4eb139036783026d734872dfe8d83af61" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 15455, "end_utf16": 15644, "sha256_utf8": "a31aef086930fc1a474d739d9ac0dbd40cefe82c3e8f795e888d644f4d435234" } ], "read_scope": "7. NIAAA. [*Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options*](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options). Official U.S. material; content date not stated. Distinguishes TSF from mutual help and discusses combining care; U.S. access is not assumed elsewhere.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 15445, "end_utf16": 15797, "sha256_utf8": "b6b12e68257594d0b9e1ced9e9f14a25237ac57be9b5e8a71c56d45c417f79e8" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_9398694449b94d00", "title": "*Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder*", "url": "https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD012880_alcoholics-anonymous-aa-and-other-12-step-programs-alcohol-use-disorder", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 3562, "end_utf16": 3711, "sha256_utf8": "09d3a1cfef76b0e75a1b335705a04f6e46be3ce90760e22f16c27fc66ae0f3ed" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 13772, "end_utf16": 13969, "sha256_utf8": "075f69c8d941e5a1d352d64fd115752a5053b6c667811a6c37b14b4d75407cc4" } ], "read_scope": "1. Kelly, Humphreys, Ferri. [*Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder*](https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD012880_alcoholics-anonymous-aa-and-other-12-step-programs-alcohol-use-disorder). Public summary of a Cochrane systematic review, 11 March 2020; search through 2 August 2019. Adult alcohol-use-disorder findings do not transfer to all groups or substances.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 13744, "end_utf16": 14144, "sha256_utf8": "32c2411a9f1cd8553331aee35477f1c9569ec63b8053dd6695801aa60b378de6" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_dc688665b81fff65", "title": "*About the NA Program*", "url": "https://na.org/about-the-na-program/", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 6255, "end_utf16": 6336, "sha256_utf8": "56e4a1a64fcb28abad619b2a4f0f9159a1186cec1f66d1aa4140fcf9e8a23c67" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 14795, "end_utf16": 14857, "sha256_utf8": "fdade5384237ae4b5569205d93e3f352f4bc6b0113aa905751f2c75ecf1ea246" } ], "read_scope": "4. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. [*About the NA Program*](https://na.org/about-the-na-program/). Official description; publication date not stated. It does not establish a clinical effect.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 14756, "end_utf16": 14950, "sha256_utf8": "d3516b34ec60e207b616dfa90c2f65a8d7ccdc2281a80362c30be178cadb93da" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_7c7b57f40928e078", "title": "*World Services Bulletins*", "url": "https://na.org/service-material/bulletins/", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 6738, "end_utf16": 6806, "sha256_utf8": "09f08a294740e36053d60ba6db3c405e5585115ce4921a85197503163646483e" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 14990, "end_utf16": 15062, "sha256_utf8": "838e5af765ea646c78d7a36dc7710a9e2f3e8932ae80c4311620fb97a38eda9a" } ], "read_scope": "5. Narcotics Anonymous World Services. [*World Services Bulletins*](https://na.org/service-material/bulletins/). Current page on the withdrawal of an old bulletin after 2026 discussion and the continuing question of medication treatment; not prescribing guidance.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 14951, "end_utf16": 15214, "sha256_utf8": "012a1bcdb637b9aa84e1634b715ec3540e475f83005f31ece51022673e2fe1fb" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_9c52fde9c29ba381", "title": "*Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis*", "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/hcp/clinical-care/opioid-use-disorder-diagnosis.html", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 7251, "end_utf16": 7359, "sha256_utf8": "3ebab64860750fa226ca4f959334af15d354178476c0263de5935884b5d93bec" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 16042, "end_utf16": 16170, "sha256_utf8": "6c62fb7782e8d2129dfbb6a4e0e2ca7c8314cf6fba9b7478822d8ce02d02fa8f" } ], "read_scope": "9. CDC. [*Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis*](https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/hcp/clinical-care/opioid-use-disorder-diagnosis.html). U.S. clinical page dated 16 April 2024. Its narrow clarification about tolerance and withdrawal under appropriate medical supervision is not a self-diagnosis guide.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 16034, "end_utf16": 16336, "sha256_utf8": "d000b13d9fea2228c8b514addcf38f8fe4768e19f77079c998aa4d96c0a585f5" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_27b603af4ac8e52f", "title": "*What is SMART Recovery?*", "url": "https://smartrecovery.org/what-is-smart-recovery", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 7760, "end_utf16": 7843, "sha256_utf8": "14028c3264436c809a7863c9dd4aa02f8a83810c45ae371a39036d9067a9d67d" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 15238, "end_utf16": 15315, "sha256_utf8": "f5e2ca01ebce187d75a5ced3acde0346c32bfac28b582aec0b003a51bd0d7f26" } ], "read_scope": "6. SMART Recovery USA. [*What is SMART Recovery?*](https://smartrecovery.org/what-is-smart-recovery). Official account of a secular approach; content date not established, and no independent effectiveness evaluation on that page.", "read_scope_kind": "verbatim_bibliography_entry", "read_scope_span": { "role": "bibliography_entry", "start_utf16": 15215, "end_utf16": 15444, "sha256_utf8": "060bfd678be1d32774c881d38ec2436faace2d613ce8e4d084c8d9845328b982" }, "shared_entry_urls": [] }, { "id": "src_ee16d4e0ae843355", "title": "*Second-wave mutual-help groups*", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40750480/", "source_spans": [ { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 8231, "end_utf16": 8303, "sha256_utf8": "75f171b345226406e7c2b03ef393164a35e78b3b1d5a06afcd90c04ad8de7e72" }, { "role": "markdown_link", "start_utf16": 14162, "end_utf16": 14239, "sha256_utf8": "cdede27a618c9630f6854759f4bfa0f632ed08e37b6935e17186448a5180b15b" } ], "read_scope": "2. Zemore et al. [*Second-wave mutual-help groups*](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40750480/). *International Journal of Drug Policy*, January 2026, online 31 July 2025. 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