University of New Mexico Psychology Professor Dr. Robert Meyers will be the guest at the UNM Bookstore, Friday, April 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. to promote and sign copies of his new book, “Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading and Threatening.
Co-written by Brenda Wolfe, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of substance abuse, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, Meyers and Wolfe provide basic guidelines for spouses, parents or children of problem drinkers or drug users to improve the quality of their own lives while making sobriety a more rewarding option for their loved ones than drinking or taking drugs.
Based on the scientifically validated CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) model created by Meyers, Get Your Loved One Sober provides the guidance and tools to recognize how you and your loved one interact and to change those patterns to achieve healthier and happier results.
Meyers created the CRAFT approach to treating patients with alcohol and substance abuse problems more than 25 years ago. It’s an alcohol and drug treatment method that has gained a reputation for its success over the past several decades.
“The community reinforcement approach has never had a negative clinical trial, when we’ve tested it (CRAFT) against other methods,” says Meyers. “This mode of treatment is designed to help a family member motivate a treatment-resistant substance user to enter treatment.”
Meyers feels the main difference CRAFT is successful is the involvement of family members as part of the overall treatment.
“This book is for consumers,” Meyers said. “We want to help family members of users who are at their wits end with no place to go. We teach several things in the book. We teach family members how
to stay safe, how to take care of themselves and how to gently persuade their user to enter treatment. We want family members of the users to lead fuller and more balanced lives even if the user never enters treatment.
“Part of the unique aspect is that we found that people who go through the program reduce a lot of their negative psychological problems such as depression, anger and anxiety.”
Meyers has been at CASAA for the past 17 years and has been involved in addiction treatment for more than 27 years.
Contact: Steve Carr (505) 277-1821
Posted by kwentworth at April 28, 2004 04:51 PM