Reflections on group treatments as corrective experiences for addictive vulnerability.

This article addresses how and why groups help people with addictive disorders feel better and change. It advances the position that problems in self-regulation and the psychological suffering that ensues are at the root of addictive disorders. Group work is especially effective in addressing these problems, providing a means of relief, and examining co-occurring characterological problems. The evolution of these ideas and the generation of a model for group therapy for substance abusers are traced over a 30-year period, and a list of principles about how and why group treatments work is presented. In addition, a number of advantages that group psychotherapy has over 12-step programs for some patients are provided. Group psychotherapy is presented as a unique corrective emotional experience.