Book Reviews : Alcoholism and Treatment Armour, Polich and Stanbul John Wiley and Sons Ltd, £11.75
| Author | Terence Crolley |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057902600109 |
| Published date | 01 March 1979 |
| Date | 01 March 1979 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
32
have
given
birth
to
huge
numbers
of
active
community
groups:
is
there
no
way
we
can
alert
people
in
this
coun-
try
to
the
comparable,
though
subtler,
dangers
of
closed,
centralist
govern-
ment,
and
motivate
them
to
energetic
initiative
and
defence without
poten-
tial
death
as
the
stimulant?
This
book
does
not
hold
out
much
hope
for
the
short-term,
but
it
gives
us
much
to
think
about
and
many
paths
to
explore.
BRUCE
HUGMAN
Alcoholism
and
Treatment
Armour,
Polich
and
Stanbul
John
Wiley
and
Sons
Ltd,
£11.75
Only
twice
in
the
20th
Century
has
American
Alcohol
consumption
shown
dramatic
changes.
The
first
was
in
the
early
1920’s
when
the
American
Government
introduced
its
first
national
policy
on
alcoholism,
Prohibition.
The
second
change
occur-
red
in
the
early
1960’s,
when
alcohol
consumption
exceeded
the
rate
of
1920.
On
this
occasion
the
response
of
Federal
Government
was
the
crea-
tion
of
The
National
Institute
on
Alcohol
and
Abuse.
The
NIAAA
invested
much
of
its
financial
re-
sources
on
setting
up
44
alcohol
treat-
ment
centres.
Built
into
the
scheme
was
a
system
of
on-going
monitoring
and
research.
This
book
is
the
fruit
of
that
re-
search.
The
findings
were
first
pub-
lished
as
the
Rand
Report
in
1976.
The
slings
and
arrows
of
outrage
were
flung
in
from
all
over
the
world.
The
finding
that
a
significant
propor-
tion
of
alcoholics
returned
to
normal
levels
of
social
drinking
produced
a
controversy
that
has
not
yet
abated.
The
authors,
however,
are
careful
to
point
out
that
they
do
not
advo-
cate
&dquo;normal
drinking&dquo;
as
a
treatment
goal
for
alcoholics.
On
the
contrary,
they
counsel
caution
and
agree
that
for
many
alcoholics
total
abstention
is
the
only
path
to
recovery.
Yet
the
study
poses
some
interesting
questions.
Unlike
much
American
literature,
it
also
has
something
of
interest
to
say
to
British
probation
officers
working
in
the
field
of
alcoholism.
_
On
the
question
of
alcoholics
re-
turning
to
normal
social
drinking,
the
fact
is
that
over
70
per
cent
of
the
study
sample
take
up
drinking
that
is
either
below
or
equal
to
the
general
population.
Many
alcoholics
do
this
without
psychological
or
social
im-
pairment
and
without
exhibiting
alco-
holic
symptoms.
The
book
also
creates
a
new
con-
cept
of
remission.
Alcoholics
are
said
to
be
in
remission
(as
opposed
to
recovery)
and
classified
as
a
normal
social
drinker
when
all
of
four
re-
quirements
are
met:
(1)
daily
con-
sumption
of
less
than
3
oz
of
ethanol
(2)
typical
quantities
on
drinking
days
is
less
than
5
oz
(3)
no
tremors
repor-
ted
(4)
no
serious
symptoms.
This
definition
is
linked
to
treat-
ment
outcomes.
The
reduction
of
alcohol
consumption
shows
an
im-
provement
in
social,
psychological
and
economic
functioning
or
in
any one
of
these
areas.
This
is
an
important
finding
and
has
implications
for
pro-
bation
officers
who
are
re-thinking
their
objectives
in
working
with
alco-
holics.
A
further
interesting
finding
in
a
general
sense
is
that
treatment
&dquo;out-
comes&dquo;
are
not
necessarily
dependent
upon
scphisticated
policies
such
as
large
amounts
of
diverse
treatment
e.g.
in-patient,
out-patient
care,
day
centre,
individual
or
group
counsel-
ling,
etc.
Many
alcoholics
experienced
intermittent
treatment
and
did
not
receive
heavy
dosages
over
a
concen-
trated
period.
The
fact
of
treatment
is
more
important
than
its
type.
The
important
factors
are
the
alcoholic’s
social
and
economic
stability
in
his
pre-drinking
days
and
his
personal
decision
to
reduce
his
alcohol
intake.
The
book
distinguishes
between
rea-
sons
for
commencing
to
drink
and
reasons
for
continuing
which
may
be
linked
to
the
avoidance
of
withdrawal
symptoms.
This
book
is
fascinating
reading.
I
find
the
authors
honest
and
painstak-
ing.
It
is
the
only
book
I
have
read
which
is
brave
enough
to
publish
its
critics’
material!
It
is
not,
however,
a
book
for
the
beginner.
At
times
the
language
is
obscure
and
incompre-
hensible.
The
figures
are
legion.
But
these
reservations
aside
it
has
plenty
to
say
that
will
give
probation
officers
much
encouragement
in
their
daily
work.
TERENCE CROLLEY
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