A Bridge to Recovery: An Introduction to 12-Step Programs

by Robert L. DuPont MD, John P. McGovern MD

Overview

Twelve-step programs are revolutionizing and reshaping our thinking about—and treatment of—addiction. Because these programs are based in the community instead of in an institutional or academic setting, they often employ techniques and language that can be confusing and alien to health care professionals. Written in a clear, easy-to-understand style, this book explores these programs and provides a guide on how to integrate them into ongoing human services.

Written by internationally renowned experts, A Bridge to Recovery: An Introduction to 12-Step Programs includes up-to-date information to bridge the gap between mutual aid programs, human services, and the professional community. This practical book is designed to assist with the implementation of these programs into routine practice while providing a useful reference for academic and educational professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780880486699
Publisher:	American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Publication date:	03/01/1994
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert L. DuPont, M.D., is President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., in Rockville, Maryland, and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.

John P. McGovern, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Table of Contents

The 12-Step Programs. The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The story of addiction. Development of the 12-step programs. Notable features of 12-step fellowships. The role of 12-step programs in recovery. Sponsorship. Controversies within the 12-step movement. Building bridges to 12-step fellowships. Institutions That Encounter Addiction: Problems, Solutions, and Recommendations. The family. Health care systems and substance abuse treatment facilities. The criminal justice system. Educational institutions. Religious organizations. The workplace. Recommendations to increase access to 12-step programs. Research Agenda. Published research findings. Research issues for 12-step introductions.

What People are Saying About This

Roger Bulger

This book by Drs. DuPont and McGovern on the 12-step programs provides an important and useful background for physicians, professional counselors of various sorts, and institutional administrators. This very readable and substantive book provides the interested person with the essential background.

Editorial Reviews

This work provides a necessary link between health care professionals and the network of support available in 12-step recovery groups. It provides the clearly defined path for accessing AA or NA. One hopes that it will be an extensively used guidebook for physiciafns in training and/or health care professionals who are most often dealing with addicted patients.

The American Journal on Addictions

[A] good reference source for the many social, educational, and health institutions that need to understand the 12-Step programs, the treatment of addiction, and recovery. This book could well grace the waiting room of any health care professional.

General Hospital Psychiatry

In this timely, thoughtful, and insightful book, Drs. DuPont and McGovern give us the benefit of their years of experience in helping patients and their families find and understand treatment. Written by the experts, A Bridge to Recovery is a superb, lucid, and commonsense handbook of what works and what can be done to increase the success of treatment. By demystifying 12-step fellowships, Drs. DuPont and McGovern have written a book which is an absolute must-read for those who have a loved one or patient in need or who are wondering about treatment, and what we can do to help it happen.

Mark S. Gold

Reviewer: Marcella McGuire, MS, RN, CSADC (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This book summarizes two days of discussions with a group of well-known alcohol experts from a variety of fields.
Purpose: The purpose is threefold: (1) to describe the philosophy inherent in the 12-step programs; (2) to offer advice on the best ways professionals can introduce intervention to their patients; and (3) to propose ideas for research that could test efficacy or identify subgroup utilization rates, etc.
Audience: The authors target a variety of mental health professionals.
Features: The references are adequate but are a duplication; references are common and cited frequently and very available in other existing material. The book's appearance is acceptable.
Assessment: A prestigious group spent two days together on this, and the outcome is a book that is three-quarters chatty and informational, which could have been accomplished by a paraprofessional, and one-quarter suggestions for a research agenda. Much of the content is already available in other sources. I was looking forward to their collected wisdom in the research idea section, but I was sadly disappointed.

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