Helping the Addict You Love: The New Effective Program for Getting the Addict Into Treatment

Review "Psychiatrist and certified addiction specialist Westreich (clinical psychiatry, NYU Sch. of Medicine) shares what he thinks works best for families and friends hoping to get their loved ones into treatment without getting hurt themselves. His method, a combination of what he calls creative engagement and constructive coercion, is based on his personal experience with hundreds of patients and their families and friends, as well as ideas culled from psychiatric literature and advice from his mentors. His methodology involves using every available strategy to convince the addict to enter treatment and then continuing to work with the addict, who should not be left to his or her own devices. This approach contradicts conventional treatment wisdom and offers a more positive outlook than do the tough love or intervention approaches typically recommended. Along with his novel strategies, Westreich deals with recognizing and understanding the nature of addiction, learning about treatment options, and handling situations that can present special difficulties. He also includes highly realistic sample dialogs that help family and friends prepare for and implement these strategies. Highly recommended for larger public libraries and for academic libraries supporting the helping professions." -- Dale Farris, Groves, TX,