Talking Point - Effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous presented by Keith Humphreys

Talking Point - Friday 5th June 2020

 
  
Effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous
 
presented by Keith Humphreys 

The mutual help organization Alcoholics Anonymous is an extremely popular resource for people facing drinking problems, but scientific research on its impact was lacking for many years.  In recent decades, evaluation studies have become significantly stronger, allowing more robust conclusions about AA to be drawn. This presentation will review research on AA's effects, as well as studies of the mechanisms by which AA influences its members and will present findings from the recent Cochrane review on the effectiveness of AA and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Clinical and policy implications will also be discussed.

Keith Humphreys is a Professor and the Section Director for Mental Health Policy in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, a Senior Research Career Scientist at the VA Health Services Research Center in Palo Alto and an Honorary Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. He is the Esther Ting Memorial Professor at Stanford University California. He has studied addiction and its treatment for 30 years, and has also been heavily involved in shaping public policies addressing substance misuse. He served as Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama Administration. His research addresses the prevention and treatment of addictive disorders, the formation of public policy and the extent to which subjects in medical research differ from patients seen in everyday clinical practice.

Professor Humphreys has been extensively involved in the formation of public policy, having served as a member of the White House Commission on Drug Free Communities, the VA National Mental Health Task Force, and the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. During the Obama Administration, he spent a sabbatical year as Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He has also testified on numerous occasions in Parliament and advises multiple government agencies in the U.K.

Date:  Friday 5th June 2020
Venue: Turning Point, Training Room 1 & 2, Level 1, 110 Church Street, Richmond
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm AEST

Cost: Free - Talking Point is a free seminar series but registrations are essential

Getting to Turning Point: Turning Point is located at 110 Church Street, on the corner of Church Street and Tweedie Place. Entrance is via the front of the building, to the right of the Skoda car dealership. Please take the lift to the first floor and visit reception.

Public transport:

• Tram 78 on Church Street
• Tram 109 on Victoria Parade (about a 5 min walk to 110 Church Street)
• Tram 75 on Bridge Rd (about a 7 min walk to 110 Church Street)

Car parking: limited 2 hour street parking available in the area, all day parking is available in:

1. Shelley Street, Richmond (between Butler and Elizabeth Streets) -about 1km walk to Church St (about $10/day).
2. 459 Church Street, Richmond http://www.carepark.com.au/find-a-care-park/459- church-street-richmond/ (about $16/day). About a 20 min walk or catch the No 78 tram which leaves from stop 55 (Adelaide St). Alight at Tweedie Pl/Church Street (Stop 63).

Please allow sufficient time for parking, arrival at 12:45pm recommended.