|
The number of self-help meetings is an indicator of the community's informal support system and capacity to promote sobriety. Together with other treatment measures, this indicator helps describe the local services available. The presence and number of local self-help meetings indicate the community's capacity to provide alternatives for people in recovery.
Sometimes self-help meetings are part of a formal treatment regime or aftercare plan, or they may well be the only support a person has pursued to gain sobriety. Because self-help meetings are confidential, it is not possible to learn about the number of people attending the meetings.
- The number of open meetings per week in the community. Examples include:
- Contact the local or state chapters of these organizations to receive a list of current meetings in the area. If a local chapter can not be identified, contact the national organization.
- People may prefer to attend meetings in communities other than their own home town. Therefore, the number of meetings in a community may not accurately indicate the community use of this informal support.
- Meeting size is not standard and may range from large forums to small, intimate groups. There is also no way to classify meetings in terms of the types of persons who attend. Thus, one community may appear to have as much support as another community, yet certain population groups (women, ethnic minorities) may not be attending any meetings.
- Changes over time in the number of meetings in a community could be a reflection of how meetings are organized. It could also be a reflection of the availability of online support. While the number of meetings may be linked in some way to the level of substance use problems, the link is indirect.
Alcoholic Anonymous Meetings Per 100,000 Population in Delaware
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Northern Delaware Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous.
| 
