by Robert Holman Coombs (editor) Sage Publications, 2001 Review by Fred Ashmore on Nov 4th 2002 
This is a large heavy book just packed
with information. There are 22
heavyweight articles written by professionals in the field of addiction – and
those 410 pages must average 500 words a page.
As an interested amateur I hadn’t realised just how many different
flavours there are to treating addiction or addictive behaviours. Here’s a list of the articles by heading and
author.
PART
1: MOTIVATIONAL TOOLS
Motivational
Interventions – The Only Failure Is the Failure to Act Edward Storti
Motivational
Interviewing: Dancing, Not Wrestling David
B Rosengren, Christopher C Wagner
Computer
Assisted Interventions: Mouse as Cotherapist Christopher
P Rice
PART
II: MEDICAL PHARMACEUTICAL TOOLS
Detoxification:
Opening the Window of Opportunity to Recovery David
E Smith, Richard B Seymour
Medications:
One Tool in the Toolbox Douglas
Ziedonis, Jonathan Krejci
Disease
Orientation: Taking away Blame and Shame Norman
S Miller
Drug
Testing: A Review of Drug Test in Clinical Settings Tom Mieczowski
PART
III: COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL TOOLS
Recovery
Contracts: Seven Key Elements G
Douglas Talbott, Linda R Crosby
Contingency
Management: Using Science to Motivate Change Alan
J Budney, Stacey C Sigmon, Stephen T Higgins
Cue
Exposure Treatment: New Thoughts About an Old Therapy Cynthia A Conklin, Stephen T Tiffany
Affect
Regulation Coping Skills Training:
Managing Mood Without Drugs Raymond
L Scott, Marc F Kern, Robert H Coombs
PART
IV: PSYCHOSOCIAL TOOLS
Lifestyle
Planning and Monitoring: Readiness,
Guidance and Growth Fred Zackon
Individual
Therapy: Accomplishing the Tasks of Recovery Joan
E Zweben
Group
Therapy: A Clinicians Guide to Doing What Works Arnold
M Washton
Peer
Support: Key to Maintaining Recovery Linda
Farris Kurtz
Family
Treatment: Stage Appropriate Psychotherapy Joyce
Schmid, Stephanie Brown
PART
V: HOLISTIC TOOLS
Nutritional
Counselling: How to Get the Big High Joseph
D Beasley
Meditation:
The Path to Recovery through Inner Wisdom Carol
A Snarr, Patricia A Norris, Steven L Fahrion
Spirituality
Enhancement: From Distilled Spirits to Instilled Spirit Robert J Kus
Acupuncture:
A Venerable Nonverbal Therapy Michael O
Smith, Kathryn P White
PART
VI: USING RECOVERY TOOLS IN VARIOUS SETTINGS AND PROGRAMS
Harm
Reduction Programs: Progress Rather Than Perfection Arthur W Blume, Britt K Anderson, Jonathan S Fader, G Alan
Marlatt
Matching
Clients with Recovery Tools: Finding the Right Keys to Unlock the Door Reid Hester, Theresa Moyers
Confession: I haven’t read every chapter but I’ve read the vast majority of
them. Overall impression, what a lot of
smart interesting people there are working in this field; what a lot of
different approaches there are; what a dearth there seems to be of
demonstration that any one of them is more effective than any other.
One or other of these authors will back
up pretty much any approach you favour, I suspect. You can find helpful advice, worksheets, statements of medical practice
and suggestions for methods rather outside the normal run such as
acupuncture. I wouldn’t be so bold as
to discount any of them. Oh, I’ll make
an exception. I found the very first of
these articles “Motivational Interventions – The Only Failure Is the Failure to
Act” full of an infuriating arrogance.
Thank goodness it’s the exception.
Most of the other articles had more a flavour of “This is what I have
found works pretty well, you could try it.”
And the final pair of articles seems to serve to pull it all together,
which is a help.
Who’s this book for? I think that anyone working with addiction
would find something to stimulate, provoke or intrigue him or her in this. Someone who was trying to recover from
addiction or trying to help someone close to them to recover would, I think,
end up seriously confused about what to do next. This seems very definitely a book for a person who already has
substantial awareness of addiction treatment methods or is a professional in
the field.
© 2002 Fred
Ashmore
Fred Ashmore is a member of the
public with a strong interest in drugs, drink and addiction and how people
recover from them. He is active as a meeting host for the SMART Recovery® program, which offers
help for people who seek to modify harmful and addictive behavior.
| 
