Problem Drinkers: Guided Self-Change Treatment
"Many treatment programs for alcohol problems take an authoritarian approach prescribing what clients 'must' do and seeking in various ways to control, coerce, or convert them.  The Sobells offer clinicians a fresh approach that is more in tune both with current research on how people really change and with the return in this field toward a more client-centered view of treatment.  Their work is also important because it addresses the largest and yet most ignored group of problem drinkers: those with little or no dependence, yet serious risk and consequences.  Such individuals often seek treatment reluctantly or indirectly, if at all, and are most likely to be identified in the course of treating other health and psychological problems.  They are unlikely to seek or accept traditional 'chemical dependency' counseling, yet are important candidates for early intervention.  The Sobells provide clear guidelines to ad dress alcohol problems in this group.  THis is not another new 'cure.'  Its elements are, in fact, rooted in decades of familiar psychological theory and research.  The message is that problem drinkers are not members of a different species, and that--for them as for all people--well-applied fundamental psychological principles of motivation, self-control, and empathic respect can form the foundation of effective change." --William R. Miller, Ph.D., University of New Mexico"Recent research confirms that the burdens placed upon society by alcohol problems arise not so much from the relatively small number of persons with severe problems as they do from the very much larger group of persons with less severe problems, the problem drinkers.  Unfortunately, there is a dearth of treatment approaches for problem drinkers.  In this book the doctors Sobell describe in gratifying detail an empirically based and carefully considered treatment for this group, guided self-change treatment, that they have shown to be effective.  So generously have they shared their knowledge and experience that clinicians will be able to implement the treatment in their own settings.  Broadening the therapeutic spectrum to deal with a critical group of individuals previously left to fend for themselves constitutes a major advance in treatment in our field.Long experience suggests that the Latin phrase CAVEAT EMPTOR--let the buyer beware--should be inscribed over the portals of many programs offering treatment for alcohol problems.  The treatment being provided often has not been thoroughly specified, and the purchaser of services cannot therefore be certain what he is buying.  No such problem exists with respect to the guided self-change treatment described in this volume by the Sobells.  Logically structured, meticulously detailed, and at the same time highly readable, it is a model of the clarity and precision that are required to place the treatment of alcohol problems upon a trustworthy empirical foundation.Historically, the treatment of alcohol problems has focused on those whose problems have been the most severe.  This has been an appropriate and humane response to a major public health problem.  Now, however, we understand more fully that a much larger group exists having significant problems with alcohol but at a less disruptive level.  To provide a differing but more acceptable treatment regimen for this group, which at the same time is effective, is an enlightened step forward.  In this book the Sobells help us to take that step, and, in the spirit of the intervention they describe, to take it by ourselves.  By doing so they contribute in a major way to the credibility and relevance of the treatment enterprise as a whole." --Frederick B. Glaser, M.D., F.R.C.P."This book provides therapists with a structured guide for working with problem drinkers.  The emphasis is on developing effective, brief interventions to promote motivation for self change.  Although not a self-help book as such for problem drinkers, it presents a professional approach that has been found effective in both the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems.  I recommend it highly to all counselors and therapists who are interested in working with problem drinkers." --G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., Psychology, University of Washington"First, I will summarize my initial impressions. These are extremely practical and incisive works, addressing treatment issues, that ate among the most common and important in the field. The Sobells focus on assisting problem drinkers- people who tend to have fewer problems and greater resources than the more numerous population of dependent drinkers. The intervention that they (the Sobells) describe is a marvel of economy, involving two sessions of motivational enhancement coupled with aspects of familiar behavior therapy. Both the content and process of this approach are abundantly described. Moreover, the text is extremely user friendly. Assessment materisals, readings for clients and homework exercised are all presented and are reproducible for use in clinical practice. These volumes represent the state of the art in their respective areas of practice, and for clinicians working with alcohol problems and family therapy, they are essential reading." --J. Somers,Behavior Research and Therapy"Overall, this is an excellent volume that should be part of the library of any clinician whose practice includes persons with drinking problems." --Frederick Rotgers inChild and Family Behavior Therapy