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Change without Therapists

The Use of Self-Help Manuals by Problem Drinkers

  • Chapter
Treating Addictive Behaviors

Part of the book series: Applied Clinical Psychology ((ABBI,volume 13))

Abstract

The main title of this chapter is misleading if it implies that I will be concerned here with so-called spontaneous remission. Rather, as the subtitle indicates, I am interested in the extent to which, and the way in which, problem drinkers may be assisted to achieve and maintain beneficial changes in drinking behavior by using self-help manuals written by professionals—what might be termed “assisted spontaneous remission.” We all know that problem drinkers can, and frequently do, reduce their drinking to non-problem levels without any formal help from therapists (e.g., Saunders & Kershaw, 1979; Tuchfeld, 1976). But can self-help manuals, based on the principles of self-management theory, assist them in this process and, if so, how? This is the principal question I wish to pose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland

    Nick Heather

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  1. Nick Heather
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    William R. Miller

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland

    Nick Heather

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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

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Heather, N. (1986). Change without Therapists. In: Miller, W.R., Heather, N. (eds) Treating Addictive Behaviors. Applied Clinical Psychology, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2191-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2191-0_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9289-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-2191-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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