Network therapy for alcohol and drug abuse

Most mental health professionals are ill prepared to help the alcoholic or drug abuser to recover, even though addicted people and their families regularly turn to them for help. For many such patients, years of therapy have meant that they have achieved "insight," but their drinking has continued. How can we engage and treat these troubled people more effectively? In this book, Marc Galanter outlines an innovative approach to office-based addiction treatment in which the therapist assembles a support network of family members and friends to meet with the patient and therapist at regular intervals. The bonds of social cohesion in the network aid the patient in overcoming denial, achieving abstinence, and avoiding relapse. The network approach thereby provides a remarkably effective vehicle for bringing substance abusers into treatment and helping them achieve recovery. This is also the first approach to the treatment of substance abuse that integrates individual psychotherapy with support from family and friends. It employs contemporary approaches like relapse prevention, and helps introduce patients to Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. Galanter defines how treatment is implemented and then illustrates his technique with many case studies. He provides a full explanation of what addiction is, from both a psychological and a pharmacological perspective. The book demonstrates that addicted people can be treated effectively with this combination of individual therapy, self-help, and peer support.