Beck AK, Larance B, Baker AL, Deane FP, Manning V, Hides L, & Kelly PJ. (2023). Supporting people affected by problematic alcohol, substance use and other behaviours under pandemic conditions: A pragmatic evaluation of how SMART recovery Australia responded to COVID-19. Addictive Behaviors, 139, 107577–107577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107577
Researchers conducted a pragmatic evaluation of the scaling up of online, group-based addiction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) was applied to analyze the SMART Recovery Australia (SRAU) online program for 12 months and at 2-month follow-up. SRAU is a mutual-help program based on a four-point curriculum (building motivation, coping with urges, problem solving, and lifestyle balance) and led by a trained facilitator via Zoom. Before the pandemic, there were only 6 online groups and SRAU aimed to expand this service during the pandemic by developing 100 groups. Data was collected by online self-report participant surveys, Zoom data analytics on meetings and attendees, and administrative logs of third-party providers. During the 12-month evaluation period, the number of online groups increased from 6 to 132. A total of 2786 meetings were delivered with 41,752 attendees. Participant survey results (N=1052) showed that 91% of participants were highly engaged and 92% had positive experiences with the online group meetings. Further, 91% of participants who had experienced the in-person format rated their online experience as equivalent or better. However, 21% reported technical difficulties. The average number of meetings delivered and number of attendees per month were sustained at the two-month follow-up. Overall, SRAU achieved the goal of establishing at least 100 online mutual-help groups in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results support the acceptability and sustainability of delivering groups online for substance use behaviors.