12-step self-help group participation as a predictor of marijuana abstinence

This study examined the associations between 12-step self-help group participation following substance abuse treatment and abstinence from marijuana use at 1-, 2-, and 5-years post-treatment. These associations were examined among 1288 male patients of the Department of Veterans Affairs who used marijuana within the 3 months prior to admission to treatment and discontinued use at treatment discharge. Consistent with expectation, 12-step self-help group attendance during the 3 months prior to each follow-up was significantly related to corresponding rates of abstinence at each follow-up time point. Additionally, 12-step self-help group attendance predicted more distal marijuana abstinence and recent attendance added to the prediction. Subsidiary analyses indicated that self-help attendance was important both for the maintenance of marijuana abstinence and for the re-initiation of abstinence after a relapse. Results are discussed in relation to better understanding the role of 12-step self-help group attendance in the initiation and maintenance of marijuana abstinence.</.