ARMS project (Addiction Recovery Mutual Support)

Most treatment services for drug users and alcoholics rely on 12 Step Programmes such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous to sustain abstinence during and, crucially, after treatment. The programmes are quite remarkable as they are available in most towns and all cities in the country, are free to 'members' - and are entirely run by members. The self-help approach is part of what makes these networks successful, at least for the people who chose to use them.

However, several aspects of 12 Step Programmes are off-putting to people who could benefit from a self-help support group to support them withdrawing permanently from alcohol or drug abuse. Bright is therefore exploring the scope for a network of support for addicts which:

  • is based on all the best things of the 12 Step Programmes, eg
  • is a self-help movement
  • is national with branches in loads of locations
  • is very administratively light
  • is meetings centred
  • uses sponsors/mentors

but which:

  • is evidence based and consistently refines its practices based on new research findings
  • isn't tethered to a 1930s text, philosophy and culture
  • replaces the God or higher power concept with a much less spiritually based concept of any person, group, structure etc which the individual trusts
  • doesn't require members to identify as powerless
  • doesn't use a 'disease model'
  • uses the best of new technology, eg web-based discussion forums

Depending what the research shows, it might also be desirable to include features like:

  • not being specific to alcoholics or cocaine users or narcotics users etc. but instead being accessible to people with other addictions
  • meetings being facilitated by people (addicts) trained in people skills, whether through their profession or specific training for this network.
  • making it easier for or more 'expected' that people get additional input to support their abstention

And as part of this exploration, we will also look at the work of the American network LifeRing Secular Recovery which seems to offer many of the features that we'd like to see in a self-help network. Including an impressive range of support materials.