Synopsis
From the President of the Research Society on Alcoholism This annual book series is a valuable resource for the alcoholism field, because it provides critical and timely reviews of selected areas that have interest to both practitioners and researchers. It tries to achieve a balance between psy chosocial and biomedical topics and between research and patient-care activ ities. Such a mix is offered in Volume 6. The Research Society on Alcoholism whose membership embraces researchers from all disciplines that study the etiology, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related disa bilities-regards the support and sponsorship of this book series as one of its major missions. Ting-Kai Li, M. D. President, Research Society on Alcoholism From the President of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies The broadening scope of clinical and scientific interest in alcohol dependence is reflected in this sixth volume of Recent Developments in Alcoholism. It offers valuable reviews on important current issues in the field, namely, the inter twining of nature and nurture, a continuing search for predictors and indi cators of the disease, and the social impact of alcoholism on the job and in special populations. This material should pique the interest of clinicians from all disciplines. Medical, social, and political planners also need to turn to the expanding body of knowledge in the field of chemical dependence reflected here. The volume is therefore of value to a contemporary readership and to those who will turn to it in future years.
From the Back Cover
Recent Developments in Alcoholism Volume 18: Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery Edited by Marc Galanter, NYU School of Medicine, and Lee Kaskutas, UC Berkely School of Public Health It was once taken for granted that peer-assisted groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous had no "real" value in recovery from addiction. More recently, evidence-based medicine is recognizing a spiritual component in healing especially when it comes to addiction. The newest edition of Recent Developments in Alcoholism reflects this change by focusing on the 12-step model of recovery as well as mindfulness meditation and other spiritually oriented activity. More than thirty contributors bring together historical background, research findings, and clinical wisdom to analyze the compatibility of professional treatment and nonprofessional support, day-to-day concepts of relapse prevention, the value of community building in recovery, and much more. Among the topics covered: How and why 12-step groups work. The impact of the spiritual on mainstream treatment. The impact of AA on other nonprofessional recovery programs. AA outcomes for special populations. Facilitating involvement in 12-step programs. Methods for measuring religiousness and spirituality in alcohol research. Whether one is referring clients to 12-step programs or seeking to better understand the process, this is a unique resource for clinicians and social workers. Developmental psychologists, too, will find Volume 18 Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery a worthy successor to the series.
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