Synopses & Reviews
Alcohol Abuse Treatment, together with its companion volume, Drug Abuse Treatment, critically examines the many difficult issues and complex strategies associated with the successful treatment of substance abuse today. Because of the high cost in lives, health, and dollars, the need for improved techniques and strategies for the treatment and reduction of substance abuse has become a critical national priority. In this volume of Drug & Alcohol Abuse Reviews, Ronald R. Watson and key researchers in the field of alcohol abuse treatment evaluate both old and new methods, carefully reviewing current data to determine the value of the most important treatment programs in current use. Featured topics include: psychosocial factors influencing alcohol use among adults and youth • pharmacotherapy for alcohol abusers • promising new themes in alcohol treatment • clinical use of alcoholism treatment research • role of hormones in behavioral treatment • theories of alcohol intoxication • nicotine as a cofactor in alcohol abusers. Alcohol Abuse Treatment and its complementary volume on Drug Abuse Treatment together offer a thorough review and analysis of drug and alcohol abuse treatment options, providing researchers and clinicians with a valuable framework for understanding, planning, and delivering the effective substance abuse treatment that is so urgently needed now.
Review
...describes well how research can be applied and tested in clinical settings [to] improv[e[ treatment outcome...does an excellent job of reviewing current theories and approaches...address[es] topics [at] the forefront of alcohol abuse research and treatment...refreshing and thought provoking.-Psychology Today
Synopsis
A major national goal is to improve the health of the populace while advancing our opportunities to pursue happiness. Simulta neously, there are both increasing health costs and increasing demands that more be accomplished with less financial support. The number of deaths attributable to the consumption of alcohol in the US is about 100,000 per year, and the annual cost of this addiction is over $100 billion. Improved treatment methods can both reduce these costs and improve health by preventing the continued exposure of abusers to the toxic effects of alcohol. This third volume of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Reviews focuses on the strategies currently thought best for the treatment of alcohol and tobacco abuse. A variety of approaches to treating alcohol abuse employ those psychosocial factors that are known to influence alcohol use in youth and adults. Pharmacotherapy has also been evaluated at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism by leaders in alcohol treatment research. One key review investigates forming a developmental framework for the treatment of adolescent alcohol abusers, a major challenge. Although the main emphasis is on the treatment of alcoholism, a major cofactor for many drug users is nicotine (tobacco) addiction, whose treatment is also reviewed. And the roles of learning and outpatient services are shown to affect treatment significantly. Thus, the problems confronted and solutions used in alcohol abuse treatment have here been analyzed in concise reviews that provide evidence for today's best hypoth eses and conclusions."
Table of Contents
Psychosocial Factors That Influence American Adults' Alcohol Consumption. Promising Themes in Alcoholism Treatment Research. Research Advances in Pharmacotherapy for Alcoholism. Toward a Developmental Framework for the Treatment of Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: Current Findings and Future Directions. Alcoholism Treatment Mismatching from a Process of Change Perspective. Relationship Between Alcoholism Treatment and Health Care Utilization: Issues and Trends. The Dehydration Theory of Alcohol Intoxication: Relevance to Treatment Issues. Utilizing Alcoholism Treatment Research Findings in Clinical Practice. Alcohol-Related Expectancies and Their Applications to Treatment. The Role of Learning in Alcohol Tolerance in Humans. Treatment Implications of a Hybrid Model for the Classification of Alcoholism. Thyroid Hormones and Alcoholism. ACTH and Alcohol Consummatory Behavior. Index.