Dr. Sarah Zemore is a Senior Scientist at the Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, California, and the Principal Investigator of the Peer Alternatives for Addiction 2 (PAL2) Study. This is the second phase in the study which focuses on the benefits of mutual help groups in recovery. 

In this podcast, Sarah talks about:

• Her background in social psychology, then becoming interested in the addiction recovery process
• Previous studies being too academic with little translation to the real world
• The power researchers have to shape services and make an impact
• The goals, challenges, and findings from the 2015 PAL1 Study
• How the new PAL2 study will provide a deeper understanding the benefits of mutual help groups
• The focus in PAL2 will be on specific subgroups and how participation is different, i.e., in-person versus online meetings
• Mechanisms of action and the key drivers of recovery
• Ways to participate in PAL2 study and how the data will be used to provide recommendations to treatment providers
• The importance of knowing the range of recovery program options available
• Welcoming feedback on the work and study

Additional resources:

---

Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts

---

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:

SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.

• Be kind in tone and intent.
• Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
• Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
• Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
• Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
• Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.

If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

We look forward to you joining the conversation!

*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*