Synopsis
Harm reduction principles and strategies are designed to minimize the destructive consequences of illicit drug use and other behaviors that may pose serious health risks. Rather than insisting on abstinence as a prerequisite to continued treatment, proponents of the harm reduction approach aim to meet drug users "where they're at" with community-based services that empower diverse clients to set and meet their own treatment goals. The first major harm reduction text, this provocative and timely volume examines a wide range of current applications-from needle exchange and methadone maintenance programs, to alternative alcohol interventions and AIDS prevention campaigns. Insight is also offered into the often contentious philosophical and policy-related debates surrounding this growing movement.
This text will be of interest to frontline drug and alcohol treatment providers, AIDS educators, community health activists, students and professionals in public health, clinical and health psychology, psychiatry, primary care, counseling, and social work; readers interested in drug policy and the law.
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Review
'This is an extremely important and valuable work, for it firmly, but rather modestly, points the way to a needed paradigm shift in how we approach some of our greatest social ills particularly the AIDS epidemic and illicit drug use ... The real impact of this seminal volume is that it makes the case for harm reduction as a powerful model for both treatment and public-policy innovations ... A needed eye-opener for clinicians, patient advocates, and policy makers alike.' - Psychiatric Services
'Marlatt's book will provide food for thought and a variety of useful ideas for implementation of harm-reduction programs.' - Contemporary Psychology
About the Author
G. Alan Marlatt, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, where he has been on the faculty since 1972. Dr. Marlatt's major focus in both research and clinical work is the field of addictive behaviors. Widely published, he is the coeditor of "Assessment of Addictive Behaviors" (with Dennis M. Donovan) and "Relapse Prevention" (with Judith R. Gordon), and the coauthor of "Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students" (with Linda Dimeff, John S. Baer, and Daniel R. Kivalan). In 1996, Dr. Marlatt was appointed as a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH). His research is supported by a Senior Scientist Award and a MERIT Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 1990, he received the Jellinek Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to knowledge in the field of alcohol studies.
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