Peer Support Groups and Medications for OUD

A new ADAI research brief, “Peer Support Groups and Medications for OUD,” written by Alison Newman, MPH, and Caleb Banta-Green, PhD, MPH, MSW, is now available on our Publications & Reports page.

For this brief, ADAI surveyed people with opioid use disorder and care providers who work with them to find out more about their perspectives of and experiences with peer recovery support groups.

Key Findings

• Individuals were interested in peer support groups that were supportive of people on medications for opioid use disorder. 
• Some individuals had left peer support groups because they were not supportive of methadone or buprenorphine.
• Care providers and healthcare providers working with people with opioid use disorder were largely supportive of the medications for opioid use disorder.
• Care providers and healthcare providers working with people with opioid use disorder often refer out to peer support groups, but about a third did not know if these groups were supportive of the use of methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone.
• More rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of peer support is warranted.

Thank you to the Washington Health Care Authority, Division and Behavioral Health and Recovery for funding this brief!