Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism

Since the original edition in 1989, great strides have been made in understanding the overlapping functions of shame and guilt and the ways these painful emotions are linked with addictions. Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism: Treatment Issues in Clinical Practice, Second Edition, integrates up-to-date psychological research with penetrating insight into the emotional realities of substance abuse. It provides a clear and practical model for understanding the shame/guilt/addiction cycle and suggests effective ways to treat destructive shame and guilt.

Explore the causes and effects of the shame/guilt/addiction cycle!

Since the original edition in 1989, great strides have been made in understanding the overlapping functions of shame and guilt and the ways these painful emotions are linked with addictions. Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism: Treatment Issues in Clinical Practice, Second Edition, integrates up-to-date psychological research with penetrating insight into the emotional realities of substance abuse. It provides a clear and practical model for understanding the shame/guilt/addiction cycle.

Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism provides constructive suggestions to therapists for treating substance-abusing clients and their affected family members. By treating destructive, inappropriate, or excessive shame and guilt, therapists can help their clients free themselves from the downward spiral of addiction and begin to build on their genuine strengths. It explores the positive functions of shame and guilt, describes the conscious and subconscious defense mechanisms against them, and highlights the crucial family behaviors that initiate and encourage shame and guilt.

Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism thoroughly explains the significant differences between shame and guilt, including:

• clients experiences of failure
• primary responses and feelings
• precipitating events and involvement of self
• origins and central fears
  
  Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism adds immeasurably to our understanding of the total recovery process. It is an essential resource for therapists, social workers, psychologists, substance-abuse counselors, and educators in the field.

Chapter 1 Overview: Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism; Chapter 2 Models of Shame and Addiction; Chapter 3 Shame, Vulnerability, and the Four Spheres of Self; Chapter 4 Defenses Against Shame; Chapter 5 Guidelines for the Treatment of Shame; Chapter 6 The Treatment of Shame with Alcoholic Clients; Chapter 7 Adaptive and Maladaptive Guilt As Related to Addiction; Chapter 8 The Treatment of Guilt-General Considerations; Chapter 9 The Treatment of Guilt with Alcoholic or Addicted Clients; Chapter 10 Common Shame and Guilt Themes in Families Affected by Alcoholism or Addiction; Chapter 11 Alcoholics Anonymous, Shame, and Guilt; Chapter 12 Creative Approaches to Shame and Guilt: Helping the Adult Child of an Alcoholic, Patricia S. Potter-Efron;