what are the advantages and disadvantages of self help groups
Answers
Advantages of SHG
Regular Attendance Increases Self-Efficacy:
Self-efficacy is the belief that people have in their own ability to achieve goals.
Provides Participants With Social Contact:
Living in recovery can be quite isolating, especially in early recovery. It is not healthy for people to continue to have relationships with the friends they had when they were drinking or using who shared that lifestyle. It is simply too tempting to slip into old habits again.
Decreases The Odds Of A Relapse:
Attending group meetings, getting support from other members, and seeing for themselves that a sober lifestyle can be achieved over a long term in spite of life stresses is inspiring to members.
Open To Everyone:
No special preparation or knowledge is required to attend a self help group. They welcome anyone who suffering and is in need of help. It doesn’t matter if a participant in the group has had a setback or relapse. Group members can come back and start again.
Disadvantage:-
You may lack the perspective to properly understand the nature of your issues. Your ability to help yourself will only be as good as your ability to be objective and clear about what the nature of your issues is. It is notoriously difficult to sort out, on your own, what your issues are really about. You may lack enough objectivity and perspective to make a true and accurate assessment or judgment concerning your own issues at this point.
You may lack the knowledge of how to fix your issues. Even if you are able to be objective and accurate about the nature of your issues, you are still faced with the challenge of figuring out how to solve them.
You may lack the motivation or will-power to stick to a self-help plan. There is a final issue as well. Even if you know what to do to solve your problem, you aren't always able to stick to your plan and follow through well enough to benefit from your plan. Creating and maintaining the motivation necessary to stick to a self-help plan can be a very difficult thing to accomplish.