Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnois and Treatment

Rating:
Summary: New Book Provides Critical Guide to Treating Drug Emergencie
Review: Addiction Treatment Forum (www.atforum.com) book review; September 2000; Stewart B. Leavitt, PhD, Editor -- Simply put, Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment; 5th edition. is a book that may help save lives. In this 380 page text, Marc A. Schuckit, MD provides an overview of drug classifications and mechanisms, and covers the pharmacology and mental/physical effects of alcohol, depressants, stimulants, opioids, hallucinogens, cannabis, and more. Most critical, there is an emphasis throughout the book on how to deal with emergency medical problems related to drug abuse, dependency, and overdose.

Schuckit, who is affiliated with the University of California Medical School and Veteran Affairs Healthcare System in San Diego, is a talented lecturer and he apparently writes like he speaks: clear and concise, technical but understandable. This 5th edition of his text dating back to 1979 includes a 70% updating of reference material with a focus on newer developments in pharmacotherapy, plus an all new chapter on prevention. The coverage of substances of abuse is all-encompassing; ranging from "Acid" (hallucinogens) to "Zoom" (stimulants), and everything imaginable in between.

How does one use a book like this? Schuckit recommends skimming all of the chapters covering the many drug classes, including descriptions of individual drugs and associated pathology, then rereading sections of particular interest. From there, the book can serve as a handbook, kept nearby for easily-accessed advice on dealing with drug-related crises or confirming suspected drug-induced symptomatology appearing in clinical settings. The text is fully indexed and evidence-based, with research references listed at the end of each of the 16 chapters.

Certainly, medical practitioners will find this book invaluable. It also could be an essential reference for nursing staff, psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other professionals who need a quick, handy, clinically-oriented manual on alcohol and other drug problems.

Schuckit MA. Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment; 5th edition. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; January 2000. ISBN 0306462303. Available online from www.Amazon.com ($49.95 + shipping) and at other booksellers.

Rating:
Summary: New Book Provides Critical Guide to Treating Drug Emergencie
Review: Addiction Treatment Forum (www.atforum.com) book review; September 2000; Stewart B. Leavitt, PhD, Editor -- Simply put, Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment; 5th edition. is a book that may help save lives. In this 380 page text, Marc A. Schuckit, MD provides an overview of drug classifications and mechanisms, and covers the pharmacology and mental/physical effects of alcohol, depressants, stimulants, opioids, hallucinogens, cannabis, and more. Most critical, there is an emphasis throughout the book on how to deal with emergency medical problems related to drug abuse, dependency, and overdose.

Schuckit, who is affiliated with the University of California Medical School and Veteran Affairs Healthcare System in San Diego, is a talented lecturer and he apparently writes like he speaks: clear and concise, technical but understandable. This 5th edition of his text dating back to 1979 includes a 70% updating of reference material with a focus on newer developments in pharmacotherapy, plus an all new chapter on prevention. The coverage of substances of abuse is all-encompassing; ranging from "Acid" (hallucinogens) to "Zoom" (stimulants), and everything imaginable in between.

How does one use a book like this? Schuckit recommends skimming all of the chapters covering the many drug classes, including descriptions of individual drugs and associated pathology, then rereading sections of particular interest. From there, the book can serve as a handbook, kept nearby for easily-accessed advice on dealing with drug-related crises or confirming suspected drug-induced symptomatology appearing in clinical settings. The text is fully indexed and evidence-based, with research references listed at the end of each of the 16 chapters.

Certainly, medical practitioners will find this book invaluable. It also could be an essential reference for nursing staff, psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other professionals who need a quick, handy, clinically-oriented manual on alcohol and other drug problems.

Schuckit MA. Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment; 5th edition. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; January 2000. ISBN 0306462303. Available online from www.Amazon.com ($49.95 + shipping) and at other booksellers.