Recent Developments in Alcoholism Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery

Kaskutas, Lee Anne. (Author). Galanter, Marc. (Added Author). SpringerLink (Online service) (Added Author).

Summary: It was once taken for granted that peer-assisted groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous had no real value in recovery from addiction. More recently, evidence-based medicine is recognizing a spiritual component in healing--especially when it comes to addiction. The newest edition of Recent Developments in Alcoholism reflects this change by focusing on the 12-step model of recovery as well as mindfulness meditation and other spiritually oriented activity. More than thirty contributors bring together historical background, research findings, and clinical wisdom to analyze the compatibility of professional treatment and nonprofessional support, day-to-day concepts of relapse prevention, the value of community building in recovery, and much more. Among the topics covered: (1) How and why 12-step groups work. (2) The impact of the spiritual on mainstream treatment. (3) The impact of AA on other nonprofessional recovery programs. (4) AA outcomes for special populations. (5) Facilitating involvement in 12-step programs. (6) Methods for measuring religiousness and spirituality in alcohol research. Whether one is referring clients to 12-step programs or seeking to better understand the process, this is a unique resource for clinicians and social workers.

Record details

ISBN: 9780387777252
Physical Description: electronic
electronic resource
access
remote
1 electronic text (449 p.) : digital file.
Publisher: New York, NY : Springer-Verlag New York, 2009.

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:

The 12 step recovery model of AA: a voluntary mutual help association -- Twelve defining moments in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous -- The impact of AA on professional treatment -- The impact of AA on other substance abuse related 12 step recovery programs -- The impact of AA on non-professional substance abuse recovery programs and sober living houses -- The concept of spirituality in relation to addiction recovery and general psychiatry -- Kickbacks from helping others: health and recovery -- Issues in measuring spirituality and religiousness in alcohol research -- Spirituality and health: empirically-based reflections on recovery -- Spiritual change in recovery -- Mindfulness and addiction -- Epidemiology of alcoholics anonymous participation -- Models, scales, and theory to inform referrals to 12 step programs.