Young People’s Perceptions of the 12-Steps’ Role in Supporting Their Recovery (or Not)

Abstract

Although 12-step participation is related to improved outcomes, young people’s 12-step involvement is rare. There is limited research on the role of 12-step philosophy and practices for supporting young people’s recovery or addressing why so few engage in 12-step practices. To explore these issues, content analysis was applied to qualitative data from two prior studies conducted with individuals who participated in an Alternative Peer Group (APG), a 12-step facilitated adolescent recovery support model. Findings revealed new information on barriers to 12-step involvement and suggest strategies for addressing barriers, boosting motivation, and changing young people’s perceptions of 12-step philosophy and practices.

Keywords:

• adolescent
• Alternative Peer Group
• emerging adult
• qualitative
• 12-steps
• substance use disorder

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the clients and staff of Teen and Family Services, the APG in which the two original studies were completed. Without their welcome and generosity in sharing their stories, this research would not have been possible.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The original data for this study was supported in part by grants from the NAPNAP Foundation and the Zeta Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau (Study 1) and the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health RRU-013 (Study 2).