Product Description

ADDICTION TREATMENT covers the biological, psychological, and social aspects of alcoholism, eating disorders, compulsive gambling, and other addictions. First-person narratives about the experience of addiction provide you a realism and depth of study not commonly found in textbooks. In addition, you will study topics that interest you, such as the case against so-called underage drinking laws, to show you the importance of reducing the harm of any addictive behavior.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #354538 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Review
"The author writes in an organized and logical way making the material very accessible and understandable for studentsÂ…I have and will continue to use this textbook for courses that I teach at both college and university levels."

"I have used this text for more than three years and have had dozens of students tell me that it forever changed the way that they interact with their clients. Others have taken research based concepts to their agencies, resulting in policy and practice change that has enhanced client success. Transformation of the field is what this text is about. It is what I have been waiting for."

From the Author
The research included on the brain in this volume is really awesome. The findings prove a lot of what I had learned from my affiliation with 12 Step groups, for example, the need for addicts to stay away from triggers ("slippery places") and questions some of the dogma in the field as well.

Katherine van Wormer

About the Author
Dr. Katherine van Wormer has taught in departments of social work and criminal justice at the University of Northern Iowa and has over twenty years of experience in teaching and public service. Dr. van Wormer was actively involved in civil rights movements in North Carolina and Northern Ireland. She has practiced substance abuse counseling for four and a half years, including two in Norway. Dr. van Wormer has been publishing texts, book chapters, and articles for over twenty years. In addition to ADDICTION TREATMENT: A STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE, she has published INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WELFARE AND SOCIAL WORK: THE U.S. IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE and seven other books, including two on female offenders and victims and one on the nature of oppression. She has received several honors, including the McKay Faculty Research Award from the University of Northern Iowa.

Diane Rae Davis, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Social Work and Human Services at Eastern Washington University. She teaches a variety of substance misuse and practice courses in the MSW program and has researched and written extensively on addiction and the recovery process. Current research includes an online survey for women in recovery from compulsive gambling.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional Textbook
This book was purchased and read cover to cover as required reading for a distance learning course of the same title, taught by the primary author. It was, honestly, the only textbook I have ever read from cover to cover during my entire undergraduate education, and it was the last course I had to take for degree completion. The text is complete, open, and laden with real-life examples of just how effective the strengths perspective can be. The authors approach the topic without discounting or arguing against traditional methods of addictions treatment and embrace harm reduction as the ultimate goal of any treatment method. The text is comprehensive, covering substance and behavioral addictions, and specific sections are written covering information to be mindful of when treating youth and elderly clients. For the student, or even a family member caught in the middle of the nightmare of the harm created by another's addictive behavior, this text, I believe, is a valuable read.

A Thorough Text for the Field
This text provides a thorough look into the field of addiction. It provides for alternatives to the dominant theme in relation to working with people whose lives have been influenced by the use of substances. In addition, the material on other addictions is a long needed addition to texts related to addictions. This complete work is a welcome addition to the library of material I use in working with addictions.

Intriguing and Practical
I recommend this book for any addiction's class, for any therapist, social worker, and to anyone in this field of study. What I liked most about this book was the pragmatic approach to substance abuse intervention with the harm reduction model. This model of intervention follows well with the strengths perspective. Excellent book.