Support, mutual aid and recovery from dual diagnosis

Recovery from substance abuse and mental health disorders (dual-diagnosis) requires time, hard work and a broad array of coping skills. Empirical evid ence has demonstrated the buffering role of social support in stressful sit uations. This paper investigates the associations among social support (inc luding dual-recovery mutual aid), recovery status and personal well-being i n dually-diagnosed individuals (N = 310) using cross-sectional self-report data. Persons with higher levels of support and greater participation in du al-recovery mutual aid reported less substance use and mental health distre ss and higher levels of well-being. Participation in mutual aid was indirec tly associated with recovery through perceived levels of support. The assoc iation between mutual aid and recovery held for dual-recovery groups but no t for traditional, single-focus self-help groups. The important role of spe cialized mutual aid groups in the dual recovery process is discussed.