Attitudes of AA contact persons toward group participation by persons witha mental illness

Alcoholics Anonymous groups are underused by persons,vith the dual diagnose s of mental illness and substance use disorder, and mental health professio nals are cautious about referring them to AA because of fears that the AA g roup will discourage them from taking prescribed medication. The study asse ssed the attitudes of 125 AA contact persons about the participation of per sons with mental illness. The majority had positive attitudes toward such p ersons, and 93 percent indicated that they should continue taking their med ication. Fifty-four percent felt that participation in a group especially f or persons with a dual diagnosis would be more desirable than in a traditio nal AA group. However, such groups are often not available.