Foundations of Addiction and Recovery Studies

Book excerpt: The book is intended for individuals who are beginning their formal studies in the field of alcohol and drug abuse counseling. Its focus on clinical concerns is related to the overwhelming increase in education requirements for individuals studying to be certified addiction counselors or licensed professional counselors. Also, among the various professions (social work, psychology, counseling, nursing, etc.) many clinicians are requesting courses that present the facts of addiction in the context of the helping professions.The book is the culmination of research and best practice guidelines from Federal, State and local governmental agencies, national organizations, and other experts in the field on substance use and abuse. Many different authors are referenced in the text to bring varied and interesting topics to ones understanding of not only the physiological consequences of substance use and abuse but also the social, psychological, and spiritual components of addiction and recovery.Section I focuses on the social, cultural and ethnic diversity in recovery concerns of addictive life styles. Chapter one explains the extent of drug use and the societal concerns of alcohol and drug abusing individuals. Chapter two explores the cultural and ethnic diversity of Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and American Indians paying attention to minority group experiences and substance abuse. Chapter three shifts from social and cultural issues to how the brain processes various chemicals. Chapter four explains pharmacologic effects of drugs and various health consequences and treatment considerations and chapter five relates drug testing to treatment effectiveness.Section II attempts to explain various special issues in recovery, Chapter six explains child and adolescent chemical abuse, the scope of the problem and the adolescent abuse and/or addiction dilemma. Chapter seven identifies the origins of HIV/AIDS, its life cycle and the various HIV groups. Also incorporated in this chapter is a discussion of Hepatitis A, B and C. Chapter eight introduces the reader to enabling and codependency, the various rules of codependency and its relationship to self-esteem. Chapter nine explores the relationship between alcohol and drug abuse and its impact on the family resilience and recovery. Attention is given to the dysfunctional concerns of growing up in an addictive family environment. Chapter ten explores co-occurring disorders and effective treatment strategies. Section III, Intervention strategies in recovery management begins with an analysis of the self-help movement and its relationship to the healing process. Chapter twelve presents a micro practice discussion of various approaches to brief therapy and Chapter thirteen presents a macro practice approach to solving behavioral health challenges.