The Treatment of Drinking Problems, 5th Edition

I was happy to be invited to be a co-author on the 5th edition of Treatment of Drinking Problems, the prior editions of which have been among the most widely read and respected books on clinical management of alcohol use disorders in the UK. It really ought to be called “Edwards’ Treatment of Drinking Problems” given that Griffith Edwards wrote the first two editions entirely and was a co-author on the next two. Echoes of his clinical wisdom and stylish writing are on every page, and he was gracious enough to contribute a preface to this new edition.

The book describes what drinking problems are, how they originate, the consequences they have, how individual clinicians can treat them and how the health care system as whole can respond to them effectively. In the 5th edition we added significant material for clinicians in non-specialty practice settings (e.g., general practitioners, A&E staff) and I hope therefore the book will be of use outside the alcoholism clinic. We tried to minimize jargon and abstruse theorizing as well such that the book might also be of value to people who are experiencing drinking problems themselves.