The data that the Cochran Collaboration got is very interesting to say the least

BECKER: "Well, professional treatments typically involve cognitive behavioral therapy. That's often used in most professional treatments for alcoholism. And so what this research did was look at AA and some of those other professional treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy. And what it found was that 42% of AA participants were completely abstinent one year compared with 35 who underwent only the professional treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy. But the thing that the researchers point out is that AA is free. You don't have to make an appointment. It's open to everyone. And I think that is what they're saying, is that it saves money, it's very accessible, and it's showing these long rates of continuous abstinence."

What this tells me is one, AA only had a 7% difference in effectiveness compared to CBT which usually is done by oneself, and two support groups do help in keeping people sober by having people to relate to and share our experiences which thus creates a social network. But here's the thing, AA is just the most accessible option. SMART Recovery would be just as good if not better along side CBT. If anything it would be interesting to see if individuals who are in AA that do CBT have a higher success rate. I think that if there was a more broader, scientific support groups that could easily be accessible to everyone that it would do a boat load better alongside CBT in keeping individuals sober.