Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that problems related to alcohol misuse can seriously affect the lives of family members, friends, and close associates of the drinker (Collins, Leonard, & Searles, 1990; Orford & Harwin, 1982; Paolino & McCrady, 1977). Very often those individuals closest to the drinker are the first to feel the negative effects of problematic drinking. In the past, self-help programs advised individuals who were concerned about someone else’s drinking to disengage or “detach” from the problems of the user and to concentrate on taking care of themselves. In recent years counseling approaches have been developed that include procedures for training concerned others (COs) in more active strategies for dealing with someone else’s drinking. Furthermore, they help COs address areas of their own lives, such that they are better able to recognize and cope with the problems and stresses associated with being close to a problem drinker.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Azrin, N. H. (1976). Improvements in the community-reinforcement approach to alcoholism. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 14, 339–348.
Azrin, N. H., Sisson, R. W., Meyers, R. J., & Godley, M. (1982). Alcoholism treated by disulfiram and community reinforcement therapy. Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 13, 105–112.
Bower, S. A., & Bower, G. H. (1976). Asserting yourself: A practical guide for positive change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Coleman, D., & Straus, M. (1983). Alcohol abuse and family violence. In E. Gottheil, K. Druley, T. Skoloda, & H. Waxman (Eds.), Alcohol, drug abuse, and aggression (pp. 104–124). Springfield, IL.: Thomas.
Collins, R. L., Leonard, K. E., & Searles, J. S. (1990). Alcohol and the family: Research and clinical perspectives. New York: Guilford Press.
Dittrich, J. E., & Trapold, M. A. (1984). A treatment program for the wives of alcoholics: An evaluation. Bulletin of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviours, 3, 91–102.
Dominguez, T. P., Miller, W. R., & Meyers, R. J. (1995). Unilateral intervention with family members of problem drinkers: A comparison of two group therapy approaches. Under review.
Fensterheim, H., & Baer, J. (1975). Don’t say yes when you want to say no. New York: Dell.
Gelles, R. J., & Cornell, C. P. (1990). Intimate violence in families (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Gondolf, E. W., & Foster, R. A. (1991). Wife assault among VA alcohol rehabilitation patients. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 42, 74–79.
Hingson, R., Mangione, T., Meyers, A., & Scotch, N. (1982). Seeking help for drinking problems: A study in the Boston metropolitan area. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 43, 271–288.
Hunt, G. M., & Azrin, N. H. (1973). A community-reinforcement approach to alcoholism. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 11, 91–104.
Institute of Medicine. (1990). Broadening the base of treatment for alcohol problems. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Johnson, V. E. (1986). Intervention: How to help those who don’t want help. Minneapolis: Johnson Institute.
Kantor, G. K., & Straus, M. A. (1989). Substance abuse as a precipitant of wife abuse victimizations. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 15, 173–189.
Leonard, K. E., & Jacob, T. (1988). Alcohol, alcoholism, and family violence. In V. B. Van Hasselt, R. L. Morrison, A. S. Bellack, & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of family violence (pp. 383–406). New York: Plenum Press.
Liepman, M. R., Nirenberg, T. D., & Begin, A. M. (1989). Evaluation of a program designed to help family and significant others to motivate resistant alcoholics into recovery. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 15, 209–221.
Meyers, R. J., & Smith, J. E. (1995). A clinical guide to alcohol treatment: The Community Reinforcement Approach. New York: Guilford Press.
Miller, W. R. (1985). Motivation for treatment: A review with special emphasis on alcoholism. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 84–107.
Miller, W. R. (1987). Motivation and treatment goals. Drugs and Society, 1, 133–151.
Miller, W. R., & Page, A. C. (1991). Warm turkey: Other routes to abstinence. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 8, 227–232.
Moos, R. H., Cronkite, R. C., Billings, A. G., & Finney, J. W. (1987). Health and daily living form manual, revised version. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University, Social Ecology Laboratory.
Moos, R. H., & Moos, B. S. (1986). Family environment scale manual (2nd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.
O’Farrell, T. J., & Choquette, K. (1991). Marital violence in the year before and after spouse-involved alcoholism treatment. Family Dynamics of Addiction Quarterly, 1, 32–40.
Orford, J., & Harwin, J. (1982). Alcohol and the family. London: Croom Helm.
Osborne, S., & Harris, G. (1975). Assertiveness training for women. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Paolino, T. J., & McCrady, B. S. (1977). The alcoholic marriage: Alternative perspectives. New York: Grune & Stratton.
Prochaska, J. & DiClemente, C. (1986). Toward a comprehensive model of change. In W. R. Miller & N. Heather (Eds.), Treating addictive behaviors: Process of change (pp. 3–27). New York: Plenum.
Room, R. (1987, June). The U.S. general population’s experience with responses to alcohol problems. Presented at the Alcohol Epidemiology Section of the International Congress on Alcohol and Addictions, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Sisson, R. W, and Azrin, N. H. (1986). Family-member involvement to initiate and promote treatment of problem drinkers. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 17, 15–21.
Stith, S. M., Crossman, R. K., & Bischof, G. P. (1991). Alcoholism and marital violence: A comparative study of men in alcohol treatment programs and batterer treatment programs. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 8, 3–20.
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–88.
Szapocznik, J., Kurtines, W. M., Foote, F., Perez-Vidal, A., & Hervis, O. (1983). Conjoint versus one-person family therapy: Some evidence for the effectiveness of conducting family therapy through one person. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 889–899.
Szapocznik, J., Kurtines, W. M., Foote, F., Perez-Vidal, A., & Hervis, O. (1986). Conjoint versus one-person family therapy: Further evidence for the effectiveness of conducting family therapy through one person with drug abusing adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 395–397.
Telch, C. F., & Lindquist, C. U. (1984). Violent versus non-violent couples: A comparison of patterns. Psychotherapy, 21, 242–248.
Thomas, E. J., & Ager, R. D. (1993, June). Characteristics of unmotivated alcohol abusers and their spouses. Presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Thomas, E. J., & Santa, C. A. (1982). Unilateral family therapy for alcohol abuse: A working conception. American Journal of Family Therapy, 10, 49–58.
Thomas, E. J., & Santa, C. A., Bronson, D., & Oyserman, D. (1987). Unilateral family therapy with spouses of alcoholics. Journals of Social Service Research, 10, 145–163.
Velleman, R., Bennett, G., Miller, T., Orford, J., Rigby, K., & Tod, A. (1993). The families of problem drug users: A study of 50 close relatives. Addiction, 88, 1281–1289.
Wiseman, J. (1980). The “home treatment”: The first step in trying to cope with an alcoholic husband. Family Relations, 29, 541–549.
Zimbardo, P. G. (1977). Shyness: What it is, what to do about it. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Meyers, R.J., Dominguez, T.P., Smith, J.E. (1996). Community Reinforcement Training with Concerned Others. In: Van Hasselt, V.B., Hersen, M. (eds) Sourcebook of Psychological Treatment Manuals for Adult Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1528-3_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1528-3_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1530-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1528-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive