Working with Substance Users: A Guide to Effective Interventions

Social care and health professionals encounter people with drug and alcohol problems on a daily basis, but many feel ill-equipped to respond. Although people working across different professions will approach substance users from various perspectives, the knowledge and skills needed to intervene effectively are the same for all. With a strong emphasis on the core skills needed for practice, this up-to-date and accessible text provides a complete guide to working with substance users and their relatives. It covers the nature of problematic use and introduces theories as to why people experience substance problems and why people change. The book moves on to examine a number of effective interventions and how they can be applied, including assessment and care planning, pharmacological treatments and cognitive behavioural therapy. Distinctively, in addition to chapters on working with specific groups such as adolescents and involuntary service users, it also addresses the implications of parental problems for children and explores ways of helping adults affected by a relative's substance use. Supported throughout by case examples and activities to help apply theories and concepts to practice, this comprehensive text equips readers with the knowledge and skills needed to work with substance users.

Table of Contents:
PART I: CONTEXT AND THEORY 1. Defining and Experiencing Substances 2. What is a Substance Problem? 3. Why do People Develop Substance Problems? 4. Cultural Trends; Social Control 5. Why and how do People Change? PART II: INTERVENTIONS IN PRACTICE 6. Effective Interventions, Competent Practitioners, Successful Services 7. Assessment and Care Planning 8. Motivational Interviewing 9. Harm Reduction; Less Intensive Treatment; Brief Interventions 10. Pharmacological Treatments 11. Interventions: Specific Approaches 12. Relapse Prevention, Endings and Follow Up Care PART III: SPECIFIC POPULATIONS 13. Psychological Distress and Substance Problems 14. Children Affected by Parental Problems 15. Significant Others: Adults 16. Young People: Substance Use and Substance Problems 17. Offenders and Other Involuntary Service Users Appendix Appendix: Validated Questionnaires Index.

About the Author :
George Allan is a qualified social worker whose career has primarily involved working in the substance problems and criminal justice fields. He recently retired from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was a lecturer specialising in teaching substance problems modules. George is the chair of Scottish Drugs Forum. George Allan is a qualified social worker whose career has primarily involved working in the substance problems and criminal justice fields. He recently retired from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was a lecturer specialising in teaching substance problems modules. George is the chair of Scottish Drugs Forum.

Review :
'A lucid and comprehensive introduction to substance use and dependence which will define undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the field for some time to come' - Ian Paylor, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Lancaster University, UK 'This broad-ranging text provides valuable insights into effective ways of working with people who use drugs' - Peter Higgs, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, AUSTRALIA 'A treasure trove of useful advice and insights' - Neil McKeganey, Director of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research, UK