Treating Addiction as a Human Process (Library of Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment)

Innovative and humane treatment of patients with substance use disorders distinguishes this highly esteemed practitioner and major psychodynamic thinker. From his initial contribution of identifying the self-medicating function of abused substances, to the continued elaboration and refinement of his work focusing on the addict's ego deficits of self-regulation and self-care, Edward Khantzian's ideas have become the standard in the field of addictions treatment. His insights into the dynamics of substance abuse have changed the ways that clinicians understand their addicted patients, significantly raising the likelihood of successful treatment. Shifting the focus from a pleasure-seeking to a pain-relieving approach to their patients' substance use enables clinicians to engage in a more positive, compassionate psychotherapeutic relationship, unhampered by countertransference feelings of contempt and condemnation. Passionate, professional, and unfailingly astute, Dr. Khantzian examines his patients' internal worlds, revealing vulnerabilities while uncovering resiliency and strength. This book, comprehensive in scope, abundant in clinical material, and written with clarity and intelligence, provides a depth of understanding of substance use disorders and an increased hope for recovery. A Jason Aronson Book

Edward J. Khantzian is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and a founding member of the Department of Psychiatry at The Cambridge Hospital. He has spent more than twenty years studying psychological factors associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Dr. Khantzian is a practicing psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, participant in numerous clinical research studies on substance abuse, and lecturer and writer on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and substance abuse problems. A former Chairman of Massachusetts' Governor's Drug Rehabilitation Advisory Board and consultant to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, he is currently Associate Chief of Psychiatry, Tewksbury Hospital, Tewksbury, MA. He is a past director of The Cambridge Hospital Drug Treatment Programs and now holds the position of Principal Psychiatrist for Substance Abuse Disorders in The Cambridge Hospital Department of Psychiatry. He is a founding member of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) and is a Past-President of this national organization. Dr. Khantzian was a supervising physician for the National Football League Drug Control Program from its inception in 1986 until 1991, and currently serves as senior consultant to the NFL Players Association program for substance abuse.