Addiction in Human Development

Book excerpt: Find fresh perspectives on the treatment of addictions and effective methods for helping recovering alcohol and drug abusers in this valuable book!Addiction in Human Development provides practical strategies based on theories of human development for working with clients recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction. An understanding of these theories will help therapists and addictions counselors recognize stages of recovery and better select appropriate interventions for every phase of treatment of addicted clients.Addiction in Human Development shows how a developmental perspective is particularly appropriate to the treatment of alcohol and substance abusers and the patterns involved in their addiction. Disruptions in clients’childhood or adolescent development, stemming from their own or a parent’s drug abuse, can influence their present recovery process. This informative book also describes the developmental course of addiction and provides tools designed to interrupt addictive patterns. In addition, stages in the developmental process of recovery are identified to help therapists select appropriate interventions.Some of the topics related to human development and addiction covered in this insightful volume include developmental deficits and developmental arrest in recovering clients, delayed reactions to sexual abuse and other childhood trauma, stages in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction, developmental issues in the professional’s own life, and multi-problem families with a multigenerational history of substance abuse. Applying these developmental strategies to work with addicted individuals will significantly improve communication and rapport between helping professionals and recovering addicts and lead to more success in alcohol and drug addiction therapy.