The sober truth : debunking the bad science behind 12-step programs and the rehab industry /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Dodes, Lance M.
Imprint:Boston : Beacon Press, [2014]
Description:ix, 179 pages ; 24 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/9963949
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Dodes, Zachary, 1976-
ISBN:9780807033159 (hardcover : alk. paper)
0807033154 (hardcover : alk. paper)
9780807033166 (ebook : alk. paper)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Review by Choice Review

The Sober Truth presents an interesting view of the 12-step treatment modality for addictions through a scientific lens. The father-and-son team Lance Dodes (psychiatrist/addiction specialist; The Heart of Addiction, 2002) and Zachary Dodes conclude, in agreement with a 2006 Cochrane Collaboration review, that there are no experimental studies that "unequivocally" demonstrate the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA; 12-step facilitation therapy). Other and more pervasive support throughout the book for the claim that the 12-step modality is invalid is based on the authors' subjective interpretation of the 12 steps as written in Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism ("Big Book"; 1st ed., 1939; 4th ed., 2001) and the authors' opinion related to that interpretation. Though the book notes that peer-reviewed studies indicate AA is successful for only about 5 to 10 percent of participants (about 1 of every 15), the authors do not propose any evidence-based or nonevidenced based alternative to AA treatment. The work's major weakness is its lack of balance in the discussion. --Margaret M. Slusser, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review