Evidence-Based Treatments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse: A Practitioner's Guide to Theory, Methods, and Practice

Research in the past decade has shown that substance abuse and substance dependence are treatable. The field has witnessed the introduction of evidence-based psychological and specific pharmacological treatments. Unfortunately, many of the empirical supported therapies for addictions are still not widely applied by practitioners. The third volume in the Practical Clinical Guidebooks Series (PCG), Evidence-Based Treatment in Substance Abuse and Dependence would encompass the developments in the field over the last decade, blending theory, techniques and clinical flexibility. The book will provide case illustrations on assessment as well as therapy, and will be suitable for practitioners and students training in clinical and counseling psychology, psychiatry, social work and related fields. The book would define the characteristics, classification, and prevalence of substance use disorders, and provide the clinician with practical guidelines applicable across a variety of treatment settings andpatient groups. Drawing on the recent research in the field, the authors will provide the practicing clinician and student with an up-to-date understanding of the epidemiology, etiology, course and prognosis of substance abuse disorders that would be relevant to clinical practice. In addition to describing phenomenology and etiology, the book provides a comprehensive guide to the assessment and treatment of DSM-IV-TR substance abuse disorders (SUDs), including abuse and dependence of alcohol, stimulants, opiates, hallucinogens, cannabis/marijuana, sedative, and party drugs. Illustrative case histories will help the reader to understand the phenomenology and assessment of SUDs. Lastly, the presentation of empirically-based therapeutic approaches will help the clinician to decide with treatment will match his/her patient's needs.