New study emphasizes the importance of relationships

A study published in the August 2006 issue of the journal Addiction attempted to study the impact of treatment program relationships on treatment outcomes. No suprise, it found that treatment relationships based on acceptance and constructive social relationships resulted in better outcomes. Here are the highlights from the abstract. Let me know if you want a copy of the entire article:

Aims This study presented and tested a model of behavior change in long-term substance use disorder recovery, the acceptance and relationship context (ARC) model. The model specifies that acceptance-based behavior and constructive social relationships lead to recovery, and that treatment programs with supportive, involved relationships facilitate the development of these factors.

Conclusions Patients from treatment programs with an affiliative relationship network are more likely to respond adaptively to internal states associated previously with substance use, develop constructive social relationships and achieve long-term treatment benefits.