A note on the utilization of common support activities and relapse following substance abuse treatment.

We examined the relationship between involvement with three common social support activities and abstinence rates among former patients (N = 50) of an inpatient substance abuse treatment facility. Attendance at aftercare meetings and attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings were significantly related to posttreatment abstinence, whereas family participation in recovery did not, by itself, significantly predict continued abstinence. Examining these factors together, we found that the abstinence rate increased linearly as more supports were used.