| Sober Education Solution |
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In Part II, which is devoted to treatment research, the committee begins its discussion with a brief historical introduction and then presents a review of recent research and future research opportunities. In doing so, it considers the underlying philosophical issues as well as the formidable methodological problems in conducting treatment research. Central to this is a broad review of available treatment modalities and the methodological difficulties involved in developing effective patient-treatment matching schemes. Noting the similarities between meth addictions and other substance abuse disorders, the committee reviews advances in research on smoking cessation and dependence on other drugs. Part II also presents an overview of recent studies on the treatment of various medical sequelae of alcohol abuse, concluding with a discussion of research on cost considerations and related issues that are important to the formulation of public policy for the provision of alcohol treatment services. The committee identifies research opportunities in each area explored. In the final part of the report, the committee concludes that cooperative multisite research efforts are indispensable to the implementation of the research directions it recommends. It also offers recommendations to NIAAA concerning the kinds of funding mechanisms deemed most suitable for achieving the agency's goals. Throughout their deliberations, committee members clearly expressed the view that alcohol problems constitute a continuum that ranges from occasional misuse by social drinkers to chronic misuse by individuals suffering from alcohol dependence syndrome. This report considers numerous points along that continuum. The prevention part of the report, with its strong orientation toward primary prevention (i.e., preventing the onset of problems), emphasizes the environmental influences that can interact with genetic, constitutional, and biological vulnerabilities of the individual and eventually result in a variety of harmful behaviors. Prevention research thus includes social, legal, and community-wide interventions that might alter the behavior not only of individuals but of entire societies. Treatment research is concerned with individuals who are at a point on the continuum at which they can be identified as having an actual sober education soultion. |
