Alcohol Problems

As with all skills, a very few people have an instinctive penchant for counselling. The majority, however, must learn the hard way - by constant practice and by reading the experts. A number are available but none that I know is as comprehensive as Alcohol Problems: Talking with Drinkers. It is written in a style which will commend it not only to all health and social workers involved in alcohol misuse but also to drinkers and their families who wish to understand what makes people drink to excess. I wonder if the authors realise how much of their own compassion comes through in this outstandingly sympathetic book.'

- from the Foreword

'A very good beginner's guide to alcohol abuse and alcohol related issues. This book can be used either to complement an alcohol counselling course or as a guide providing the experienced counsellor with a basic understanding of problem drinking. The first section provides a useful introduction to the physical and psychological elements associated with problem drinking. The dialogues contained within the second part help underpin and enlarge on the theories presented in the first part of the book. Anyone in the helping professions, or with an interest in alcohol issues, can pick the book up and find something useful in it.'

- Counselling

'Useful for both professionals responsible for helping or educating and for those who wish to embark on the counselling of alcohol abusers as well as for drinkers and their families.'

- Journal of the Inst of Health Education

'In addition to clarity of conversational content, the authors' choice of content topics is extremely well-conceived. The authors present an overview of problems related to excessive consumption of alcohol and a brief overview of treatments available to clients and their families. Useful to active clinicians and undergraduate students, as well as to drinkers and their families. I have rarely enjoyed reading a text so much.'

- Music Therapy Perspectives

'The practical application of the book raises some important issues when engaging people in conversations about their drinking and its impact on themselves. It is demonstrated clearly that effective communication is a two-way street in which the attitudes and expectations of each person directly influences outcome.'

- Health Promotion Journal of Australia

'This is a book for lay helpers and professional practitioners, written by practitioners themselves. By linking these two audiences, the authors demystify professional practice and show how many of the dynamics of care are common to both groups. This book provides a useful conceptual introduction to the field and an experience of helper practice that is instructive and likely to be useful for discussion in professional and non-professional settings alike.'

- Australian Journal of Rural Health

'Gillie Ruscombe-King and Sheila Hurst, both practised counsellors in alcohol problems [consider] the how and why of drinking problems, including information on the possible medical consequences; and dialogue chapters to illustrate discussions between anonymous counsellors and clients.'

- Church Times

The helplessness often felt by families involved with drinkers is frequently shared by those professionals responsible for `helping', and by the drinkers themselves. This book uses these parallel experiences to build a resource that not only provides the background knowledge required to understand why people drink to excess, but also combines this with a series of dialogues that illustrate ways of dealing with the many problems associated with drinking.

Part I of the book outlines a theoretical base for understanding drinking problems, and examines the definitions and consequences of drinking behaviour, the personality of the drinker, the relationship between the drinker and helper, and ways in which the needs of the helper can be met. In Part II, the collective experience of the authors and their colleagues is expressed in the form of dialogues with drinkers. The reader is encouraged to explore the issues and emotions raised by the encounter between those that are drinkers and those that meet them, while additional notes are used to clarify points, and provide some theoretical perspectives.