Anxiety Symptoms and Alcohol Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of Length of Time in Mutual Help Recovery Homes

Abstract

Anxiety often co-occurs with alcohol abuse and predicts both the initial development of alcohol abuse problems and relapse among individuals in recovery. Individuals with comorbid substance abuse and anxiety symptoms may benefit from mutual-help environments, as these settings offer an increased amount of social support for individuals in recovery. Because symptoms of anxiety predict higher rates of relapse, mutually-supportive environments that potentially buffer anxiety might serve as beneficial recovery settings. This study examines anxiety symptoms and alcohol use over a 1-year period among a sample of adults in self-governed, communalliving recovery homes for substance abuse. We explore whether staying in a supportive recovery environment for 6 months or longer was associated with lower levels of anxiety and alcohol use over time. Findings indicate that individuals who remained for at least 6 months report significantly lower anxiety symptoms and rates of alcohol use over time. The implications of these findings are discussed. BRADLEY D. OLSON Northwestern University