How Science and Kindness Can Help People Change
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 04, 2014 -- Drs Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens, and Nicole Kosanke announce the release of their new book, BEYOND ADDICTION: How Science and Kindness Help People Change (Scribner; February 18, 2014; $26; 978-1-4767-0947-5). Dr. Foote and Dr. Wilkens are the co-founders of The Center for Motivation and Change in New York, and with a staff of 25 psychologists have been helping patients with substance abuse issues for more than 10 years. Their private practice was one of the first in the country to exclusively use evidence-based therapies to treat substance use problems, and their expertise and wisdom from over 3000 clients and 100,000 visits in those 10 years is rich, unique and illuminating.
Drs Foote, Wilkens, and Kosanke are compassionate leaders, thoughtful researchers and expert clinicians who are fully engaged in dramatically changing the conversation about addiction in this country. As experts in the field, they clarify and challenge false assumptions about motivation (“you either have it or you don’t”; “you have to hit bottom to change”) and how the change process works (“once you go to rehab or AA meetings things should get better”). They shed light on the downsides of outdated treatment strategies (confrontation pushes people away from change; forcing people to identify as an “addict” can be harmful) and describe the benefits of newer treatment options, including medications, that are most effective. By sharing their knowledge, these doctors are part of a growing movement to reduce the stigma around this issue, and educate the US consumer about the importance of using science and kindness to understand and work with substance use problems.
Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change is written specifically for families and friends of people who have a substance use problem. It provides them with everything they need to better understand the problem they face and teaches them to become active, compassionate and effective participants in the change process. Using empathic and easy to understand explanations, Beyond Addiction gives readers the most current information science has to offer about how substances affect the reward centers of the brain and motivation. The authors explain what science has taught us about the change process (specifically about why it is so hard!) and offer detailed and incredibly helpful strategies (including homework) for improving communication, reinforcing positive change, taking care of yourself, and helping your loved one decide to make real changes. The book is also a roadmap for navigating the complex and confusing substance abuse treatment world, from psychiatrists to rehabs, medications to AA. While they give these facts, they also offer a compelling challenge to the stigma and negative assumptions many people have about issues of addiction (“admitting to being an alcoholic is crucial to real change”, “abstinence is only acceptable goal”, “and addicts share a set of common characteristics”).
Most importantly, the book offers a new, empowered and positive role for families. Instead of talking about enabling, tough love and detaching, the book teaches readers how to tap the transformative power of relationships to support positive change. In a compassionate and supportive style, Beyond Addiction guides the reader through what research shows us really works, and provides practical exercises and examples.
The goal of Beyond Addiction is to help families find hope in difficult times, and to learn the skills they need to be a positive and motivating influence in their loved one’s life. The book also hopes to remove the mantle of shame, guilt, anger and helplessness many families feel, and lastly, to continue changing the conversation around substance use: from the language of shame, confrontation and deficits, to one of pride, collaboration and strength.
To learn more about a parent's perspective, click here.
For more information visit http://www.motivationandchange.com.
Joanna Roche, Center for Motivation and Change, +1 (413) 441-4531, [email protected]
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