23. Peer-to-Peer Online Communities
Research provides validity to the supportive content generated on an online recovery-oriented community, while also revealing discussions of self-reported struggles with opioid use disorder (OUD) among group members. Future research should explore the feasibility of incorporating web-based peer support into traditional addiction treatments. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037687161730491X Apps like BuddyBot hosted exclusively here on the 100 Million Ways website, provide support from a community with similar experiences and common goals providing support for those using or recovering from opioid dependence. (BuddyBot is free online app that matches participants with others confronting the same opioid dependence issues to enable mutual support.) The collision of pandemic with epidemic makes web-based solutions even more important. Online peer communities can be a public space where thoughts are exchanged. Moderated web-communities provide that forum with rules of engagement to drive focus on issues at hand; especially important in substance used disorder online exchanges. Advantages of Web-based peer support, in contrast to meetings in-person, include: easy access, self-paced, and limited restrictions regarding time and location. A web-based peer support environment allows participants to articulate thoughts and feelings they may not want to share with family, friends, healthcare professionals, or in-person. It also provides an opportunity to share knowledge from their experiences of living with substance use disorder. It should be an anonymous platform. This makes honesty easier and alleviates the stress of “identifiable” interactions. Disadvantages of web-based peer support result from an information paradigm shift that elicits conflicting views about the value of sharing unverified data. Disadvantages likely lose the day to a study published in Qualitative Health Research that states, “People with a disease, a disorder or a problem long for solidarity and emotional support. They are motivated to seek or share advice, ideas and hope with peers.”
Research provides validity to the supportive content generated on an online recovery-oriented community, while also revealing discussions of self-reported struggles with opioid use disorder (OUD) among group members. Future research should explore the feasibility of incorporating web-based peer support into traditional addiction treatments. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037687161730491X Apps like BuddyBot hosted exclusively here on the 100 Million Ways website, provide support from a community with similar experiences and common goals providing support for those using or recovering from opioid dependence. (BuddyBot is free online app that matches participants with others confronting the same opioid dependence issues to enable mutual support.) The collision of pandemic with epidemic makes web-based solutions even more important. Online peer communities can be a public space where thoughts are exchanged. Moderated web-communities provide that forum with rules of engagement to drive focus on issues at hand; especially important in substance used disorder online exchanges. Advantages of Web-based peer support, in contrast to meetings in-person, include: easy access, self-paced, and limited restrictions regarding time and location. A web-based peer support environment allows participants to articulate thoughts and feelings they may not want to share with family, friends, healthcare professionals, or in-person. It also provides an opportunity to share knowledge from their experiences of living with substance use disorder. It should be an anonymous platform. This makes honesty easier and alleviates the stress of “identifiable” interactions. Disadvantages of web-based peer support result from an information paradigm shift that elicits conflicting views about the value of sharing unverified data. Disadvantages likely lose the day to a study published in Qualitative Health Research that states, “People with a disease, a disorder or a problem long for solidarity and emotional support. They are motivated to seek or share advice, ideas and hope with peers.”