Drug self-help groups vary in the degree and type of change desired by members. Some groups, for example the 12-Step program groups, have a primary focus on behaviour change. For example, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) provides help and support to anyone with a desire to stop using drugs. NA self-help groups exist to help problem users to learn how to live drug free and to help group members maintain abstinence from drugs.

Other groups take on a role that focuses on education and advocacy, as well as the provision of support. For example, drug user groups have taken the lead in many countries in providing information concerning the risks of drug use and how to reduce them. In many instances, drug user groups have gone on to provide services such as needle exchange and the distribution of other risk reduction supplies such as condoms, swabs and clean water. Moreover, many of these groups have advocated strongly for law reform and improvements in the systems of treatment and care for drug users. Supporting people to be more assertive, to push for their rights and to help change an 'unjust system' is an important focus for many self-helpers.

Whatever the orientation of self-help groups, be it personal change or supportive/educational, advocacy functions, they have several essential themes in common. Self-help emphasises self-determination, self-reliance, self-production and self-empowerment. Self-help also reaffirms basic values such as having a sense of belonging and being cooperative. The focus is anti-elite, anti-bureaucratic and anti-impersonal. Self-help/mutual aid mobilises the internal resources of the individuals and groups where participants become 'prosumers', that is, they are the consumers as well as the producers of help and services.

The self-help movement reminds us of the importance of like minded groups in meeting our needs. For drug users and their families, Victorian self-help services offer a number of opportunities that range from advocating for your rights and helping to improve negative community attitudes, to accessing knowledge and developing new skills, on to receiving support for personal behaviour change.