Changing Addictive Behavior: Bridging Clinical and Public Health Strategies

This volume proposes that prevailing clinical approaches to treating addictive behaviors are actually best suited to a minority of the population with problems--in the case of substance abusers, those with substantial functional impairment and physical dependence. But what about persons with mild to moderate addictive behavior problems, for whom intensive treatment may prove unnecessarily costly, disruptive, and stigmatizing? Or those substance abusers who are unable or unmotivated to abstain, but want to reduce the harm associated with drug use? Contributors draw upon cutting-edge theory and research to examine ways that traditional therapeutic treatments can be supplemented by public health interventions that extend the reach and effectiveness of care. Timely and pragmatic, the book points the way toward necessary evolutions in the roles of behavior change specialists in today's challenging health care environment.

Jalie A. Tucker, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Health Behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. Previously, she was Alumni Professor of Psychology at Auburn University. Originally educated as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Tucker has variously worked as a faculty researcher, educator, therapist, and administrator in medical school and psychology department settings. Her research on help-seeking and addictive behavior change patterns is supported by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. Dr. Tucker recently completed a masters of public health degree in health care organization and policy, an endeavor made possible by a Research Scientist Development Award from the NIAAA. A consistent contributor to the scientific literature on substance abuse, she is a past president of the Division on Addictions (50) of the American Psychological Association and a past leader of the Addictive Behaviors Special Interest Group of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.

Dennis M. Donovan, PhD, currently serves as the Director of the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute and is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. Dr. Donovan was affiliated with the Addictions Treatment Center at the Seattle Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center for 17 years, where he was involved in clinical, administrative, training, and research activities. During this time he was also instrumental in the development of, and served as Associate Director of, the first Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE). He has over 120 publications in the area of alcoholism and addictive behaviors to his credit, and has served as Associate Editor and as a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. His research has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.