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Peer Support is not Therapy

Peer Support is a structured relationship in which people meet in order to provide or exchange emotional support with others facing similar challenges. Examples of peer support are self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), SMART Recovery, and online forums to name a few. Peer Support alone is sometimes mistaken for therapy but it is not the same thing.

Therapy is conducted by a trained medical professional that employs evidence-based procedures to help a person change their behavior. Both peer support and therapy each play a different, yet important, role in an overall treatment plan.

So is AA treatment? No. AA is simply a mutual-support organization. Many of those who have entered into recovery have done so simply by attending AA meetings without formal treatment. Many others have used AA as a form of continuing care to keep them abstinent following formal treatment.¹

Virtually all alcohol dependency treatment programs also include Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. AA describes itself as a "worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each other to stay sober." Although AA is generally recognized as an effective mutual-support program for recovering alcoholics, not everyone responds to AA's style or message, and other recovery approaches are available. Even people who are helped by AA usually find that AA works best in combination with other forms of treatment, including psychosocial counseling and medical care.²

Not unlike medications, any peer support is most effective as a component of a more comprehensive treatment plan.