A large number of surveys returned by those affected by another's substance misuse. Dr. Meg Hall said, "We were particularly pleased to find family members and friends who face their own problems in dealing with the addiction of significant others are using online recovery services. We feel online recovery services may have special impact for these people not always readily available in the face-to-face world."
Hall also pointed out the difficulty online recovery services sites are experiencing in terms of financial support. "Both public and private traditional funders have difficulty grasping the new definitions of 'community' and 'recovery' as they can apply to Internet recovery services," Hall stated. Dr. Hall speculates the true cost-effectiveness of online recovery will come from providing nationwide services to all those choosing to use health e-technologies for prevention, outreach, relapse prevention and mutual support. Providing these 24-hours-a-day/7-days-a-week in a free-to-user and advertisement-free publicly accessible online recovery services site is the mission of Online Recovery Anonymous.
"Traditional definitions of 'recovery' and 'community' are being shattered by development of the online recovery community," Hall said. "Inpatient and face-to-face treatment providers will always have a place in addiction services, but for those who find traditional services inaccessible there is an alternative. Online peer support reaches those who are geographically isolated, physically challenged, or socially unable to access face-to-face services."
"Those who limit the role of online alcoholism and substance abuse services to that of providing information about the disease or referrals to face-to-face services are missing the true potential of these prevention, outreach and relapse prevention tools," Hall reported. "Those who suffer from the effects of addictions may be able to use email support groups, electronic bulletin boards, real-time Internet meetings, and real-time peer group support chat rooms for prevention, outreach and mutual support in combating the disease."
"Those who define 'community' by geographical boundaries are overlooking the capabilities of health e-technology services to span distances and time zones in providing some healthcare services. The online recovery community appears well geared to reach special populations of those affected by addiction, especially in terms of providing peer group support services."
ORA hopes the results of this survey will promote awareness of the tremendous resource online recovery services present in the field of substance abuse, assist policy makers in understanding the importance of maintaining online recovery services, and create funding opportunities for publicly accessible free-to-user and advertisement-free recovery service sites.
Additional information can be found at ORA's web site.
Part One - Online Recovery Survey Published
Source: ORA News Release.
