Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors

This book provides a framework for helping individuals with addictive behavior problems develop the skills to remain abstinent once they have kicked the habit, whatever the habit in question may be. The all-or-nothing dichotomy of traditional treatment strategies--e.g., "You're only one drink away from a drunk"--is rejected in favor of a more pragmatic, optimistic approach that regards one slip back to earlier behaviors as a lapse rather than a total relapse. The focus is on the development of new adaptive behaviors, cognitions, and general problem-solving skills to enhance the individual's sense of self-control and ability to cope with high-risk situations. Methods demonstrated include cognitive assessment and intervention, imagery, relapse rehearsal, relaxation training, stress management, and lifestyle modification. Grounded in research and illustrated with numerous clinical vignettes, the book provides innovative strategies for helping clients make and maintain positive changes in their lives.

G. Alan Marlatt, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, where he has been on the faculty since 1972. Dr. Marlatt's major focus in both research and clinical work is the field of addictive behaviors. Widely published, he is the coeditor of Assessment of Addictive Behaviors (with Dennis M. Donovan) and Relapse Prevention (with Judith R. Gordon), and the coauthor of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (with Linda Dimeff, John S. Baer, and Daniel R. Kivalan). In 1996, Dr. Marlatt was appointed as a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH). His research is supported by a Senior Scientist Award and a MERIT Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 1990, he received the Jellinek Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to knowledge in the field of alcohol studies.