An exploratory/developmental study is proposed to examine the accessibility of Moderation Management (MM)self-help groups to problem drinkers. Unlike other alcohol self-help organizations, MM explicitly targets """"""""problem drinkers"""""""" rather than alcohol-dependent individuals. """"""""Problem drinkers"""""""" have lower levels of alcohol dependence and consumption than would the typical individual meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, but are nonetheless an important focus of intervention because they account for a larger share of alcohol-related harm to society (e.g., alcohol-related auto fatalities) than do alcohol-dependent individuals. Hence, MM's effort to create an accessible helping resource for problem drinkers is important to evaluate. The proposed study also examines how access to MM is affected by the organization's practice of supplementing traditional face-to-face self-help groups with self-help groups operated electronically over the Internet. Comparisons of the accessibility of Internet-based vs. face-to-face self-help groups could have broad import for understanding how the expanding Internet can be used to promote public health. If MM Internet based groups can successfully reach significant numbers of individuals who have alcohol problems, other alcohol self-help organizations may wish to make more extensive use of this potentially cost-effective intervention. Additionally, the Internet may be more accessible to hard-to-reach populations, such as individuals who live in rural areas and have poor access to Importation. Although many self-help organizations for a variety of health problems have started Internet based groups, the proposed study will be among the first to describe the nature of these groups and evaluate who accesses them. The primary questions of the proposed study are (1) Will problem drinkers access a self-help organization targeted at them even though their drinking and drinking-related problems may not be particularly severe? and (2) What are the differences between individuals who access an alcohol self-help group face-to-face versus over the Internet? Data relevant to these questions will be gathered through qualitative interviews and self-help group meeting observations, and through a quantitative survey composed both of established measures and new items focused on MM which will be developed as part of this exploratory/developmental project. Secondary benefits of this study include: (a) The piloting of a battery of survey measures that will be useful in future research on MM, a rapidly growing informal helping resource for problems drinkers and (b) The gathering of descriptive data on the structure, function, and growth rate of a new and potentially important public health phenomenon: Self-help/mutual aid groups conducted electronically over the Internet.
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| Cunningham, J A; Humphreys, K; Koski-Jannes, A (2000) Providing personalized assessment feedback for problem drinking on the Internet: a pilot project. J Stud Alcohol 61:794-8 |
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