Amazon.com: Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol (9781572308008): Patt Denning, Jeannie Little, Adina Glickman: Books

Review

"Imagine if all that counted in helping people with drug problems were science, compassion, health, and common sense. Imagine if the bottom line were simply a matter of helping people get their lives together, one step at a time, in their own particular way. Read this wonderful book, and what you imagine just might become real. "--Ethan Nadelmann, PhD, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance

"At last, a user-friendly guide to harm reduction! If you or someone you care about are seeking an alternative to abstinence-only programs, I highly recommend this book. It offers ample solace, support, information, and the skills you need to understand harm reduction and use it to make positive changes in your life. The authors are compassionate and pragmatic, and their extensive experience is reflected on every page."--G. Alan Marlatt, PhD, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle

"Over the Influence is not only the best-named book about recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, it is also the best written, most concise, and most emotionally real of all the books in the field. Denning, Little, and Glickman translate the controversial concepts of harm reduction into practical guidelines for people who want to improve their lives--whether or not they achieve abstinence."--Lonny Shavelson, MD, author of Hooked: Five Addicts Challenge Our Misguided Drug Rehab System

"This book will bring optimism and hope to readers with a range of addictive problems. Dr. Denning and her coauthors don't demand abstinence, nor attack the integrity of those who don't attain it. Instead, the harm reduction approach encourages people to make changes that improve their lives, no matter how long it takes or how many setbacks they encounter. A brave, caring, and radical book."--Stanton Peele, PhD, JD, author of The Truth about Addiction and Recovery

"Denning, Little and Glickman take the concept of harm reduction and apply it broadly and eloquently. This guide is sure to provide users, their families, their therapists, and their communities with tools to address the complexities that characterize drug use, misuse, addiction, and treatment. I highly recommend it to everyone who is, knows, or cares about a user of intoxicating substances."--Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD, Director, Safety First Project, Drug Policy Alliance, San Francisco

"The authors sufficiently demonstrate how such a program should be administered....Both the theoretical basis for this type of treatment and the corresponding choice of techniques are sound and appropriate tor the drug-using population. Furthermore, the book is written in a very clear and understandable manner, making it easy for the reader to incorporate this approach within his or her repertoire of therapeutic responses....Case illustrations provide clear and specific therapeutic suggestions....This book makes a very important contribution to the literature....The book is practical, realistic, and systematic in its approach. The authors demonstrate a keen understanding of human nature and clearly understand the drug-abusing population....For all those treatment providers who have desired options beyond the traditional orientations of treatment, this book is highly recommended."--Criminal Justice Review

"An all-around good book....Could conceivably be used as a supplemental text for a counseling strategies course. It would certainly be a useful reference book in a college or university library."--Journal of Teaching in the Addictions

"Presents the Harm Reduction model in a very informative and easy to read format....Positive reinforcement is provided throughout the book enhancing the reader's subjective experience of success as opposed to the frustration frequently encountered in many self-help books related to substance use. The authors demonstrate many of the core principles of cognitive therapy in their manner of relating to the reader. This book is an excellent resource for mental health professionals and the clients they treat."--Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Book Reviews

"Although written primarily for people who have a substance abuse problem, or for those affected by another's use, the book will also be of value to professionals working in this field....As someone with a number of years of experience working as an alcohol counsellor, I would certainly have found this book helpful, as I developed my own understanding of the impact of substances on the person and ways of working with the person to promote a more healthy lifestyle, and I feel sure many of my clients would have benefited from it as well."--Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal

"...this self-help text will appeal to many who have tried and failed at traditional therapies or who feel that continued substance use is acceptable for them. Essential for all public and mental health libraries."--Library Journal

"This is a terrific book....I very much appreciated the respectful tone....I have read a number of self-help books, and many of them try to acheive this tone. Few manage it....the book is aimed at those who are using and those who have a relationship with someone who is using--family, friends and relatives....it would also be a valuable resource for professionals who are looking for a concise explanation of harm reduction....I found myself repeatedly nodding in agreement, grinning at new perceptions or surprised and intrigued by new information....very well written, informative, humane and kindly."--Metapsychology

Product Description

Twelve-step programs that insist on abstinence are beneficial to many--but what about the millions of Americans who try to quit and fail, just want to cut down, or wish to work toward sobriety gradually? This groundbreaking book presents the Harm Reduction approach, a powerful alternative to traditional treatment that helps users set and meet their own goals for gaining control over drinking and drugs. The expert, empathic authors guide readers to figure out which aspects of their own habits may be harmful, what they would like to change, and how to put their intentions into action while also dealing with problems that stand in the way, such as depression, stress, and relationship conflicts. Based on solid science and 40+ years of combined clinical experience, the book is packed with self-discovery tools, fact sheets, and personal accounts. It puts the reader in the driver's seat with a new and empowering roadmap for change.

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Product Details

Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (November 15, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1572308001
ISBN-13: 978-1572308008
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Do you know anyone with diabetes who has ever been refused insulin by his doctor because he won't stop eating ice cream or drinking alcohol? Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
substance use management, harm reduction psychotherapy, practicing harm reduction, relationship with drugs, harm reduction movement, stronger pot, hidden harm, decisional balance, relationship with alcohol, harm reduction model, drugs for reasons, harm reduction approach, internal observer, favorite drug

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Greatest Dangers, Guilford Press, Withdrawal Tolerance, Alcoholics Anonymous, James Prochaska, New Harbinger, South America, Stanton Peele, Cynthia Kuhn, Drug Psychological, John Norcross, New York, Scott Swartzwelder, The Straight Facts, Wilkie Wilson, Avon Books, Frederick Rotgers, Houghton Mifflin, Lonny Shavelson, New Press, New World, Patt Denning, Recovery Options, Robert Julien

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 54 books:

Truth About Addiction and Recovery by Stanton Peele on 7 pages
Hooked: Five Addicts Challenge Our Misguided Drug Rehab System by Lonny Shavelson on 5 pages
Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by James O. Prochaska on 4 pages
Recovery Options: The Complete Guide by Joseph Volpicelli on 4 pages
Drug Crazy : How We Got into This Mess and How We Can Get Out by Mike Gray in Front Matter, page 298, and Back Matter

See all 54 books this book cites

2 books cite this book:

Addiction, Assessment, And Treatment With Adolescents, Adults, And Families by M Carolyn Hilarski on page 203
7 Tools to Beat Addiction by Stanton Peele in Front Matter

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Responsible Drinking by Frederick Rotgers

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Harm Reduction by G. Alan Marlatt PhD

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Changing Addictive Behavior by Jalie A. Tucker Phd

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Integrated Treatment for Dual Disorders by PhD Kim T. Mueser PhD

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	73% buy the item featured on this page: Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $13.22
	11% buy Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers 4.1 out of 5 stars (11) $14.93
	9% buy Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) $12.20
	5% buy 7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking: How to Effectively Moderate Your Alcohol Intake 4.7 out of 5 stars (6) $17.05

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Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary New Approach to Drug Treatment, April 18, 2004

By	Katherine Carroll Craven (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Anyone troubled by drug or alcohol use but not interested in cold turkey, all or nothing approaches to such problems, really ought to take a good look at Dr. Patt Denning's "Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol." Denning and co-authors Jeannie Little and Adina Glickman address substance use in terms of the interplay between the individual and a variety of social, emotional and biochemical factors. The complexity of this framework does much to influence the kind of relationship that same individual might have with substances considered terminally toxic in other treatment circles.

At the heart of this mode of treatment is the notion that people use drugs for particular reasons that may well be obscured in recovery programs where complete cessation of drug use is a condition of treatment. Denning and other harm reduction therapists adhere to the principle that people who use are capable of doing so sensibly, modifying conduct in ways that reduce harm to themselves and others.

Drawing on forty years of clinical experience and addressed to the general public, "Over The Influence" offers a valuable discussion of drugs and other substances along with a review of various psychological and social considerations that enter into patterns of usage. This revolutionary book presents new options in thinking about drugs. It is a must-read for those involved in legal, educational, and personal questions of substance use or misuse.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social Worker Supports Methods, April 15, 2008

By	S. Ingersoll "HappyAlaskan" (Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I deal with a majority of clients who are either court ordered or desire to change their substance (inc'l alcohol)use behaviors. I have been practicing some level of harm reduction by my own intuitive sense of helping people reach their own goals. But, this book has brought me to a new level of understanding what harm reduction can really look like and how it can be put into practice in my office. Realize though, that this book is written for the user and not the clinician; I still see it as highly useful for the clinician to read. It is an easy and engaging book that I hardly wanted to put down. I have so many clients this might be useful for. However, know that even if you are already harm reduction friendly, that this is still a revolutionary approach; it will take a while to really wrap your mind and practice around this philosophy in the way its prescribed in this book. If you are a user who wants to make changes in your substance use but aren't ready or willing to quit, then this is the best book you could possibly buy for yourself. It gets past all the shame and judgement associated with traditional therapies and gets to the heart of why you use, how you can make changes or not make changes, and who you are in relation to your drug of choice. Heck, I think this can help anyone with ANY behavior they are thinking about changing. I have already recommended it to some of my clients and am begining to incorporate these ideals into my practice already.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightened perspective, June 6, 2009

By	L. Fowle "lamplighter" (north carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've had it with the narcissists in AA with their stories and still can't find a voice in all that wilderness, this book is perfect. Honest and forthright, this takes on the establisment's misdirected disease-model and offers helpful, pragmatic, and easy-to-implement strategies to take care of yourself--and as a consequence, those around you. Essential.

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5.0 out of 5 stars great new way
I think this book offers a valid and awesome alternative to the traditional methods. You need to have a good ammount of discipline to implement this, but it should help greatly.

Published 17 months ago by Spike Drink

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