Experts in the substance abuse field highlight the practical issues inherent in planning and conducting alcohol treatment assessment research. The rising costs of health care and malpractice fees, along with third party payers'demands for more accountability have resulted in an urgent need for more and better treatment evaluation. Contributors address some of the pitfalls and examine valuable techniques and tools involved in conducting treatment assessment research. Topics include the initial assessment or diagnostic instrument, the role of the treatment environment on the outcome of treatment, the data collection process and its relation to the goals of the assessment, and the cost-effectiveness of treatment.

The guideline focuses specifically on evidence-based pharmacological treatments for AUD in outpatient settings and includes additional information on assessment and treatment planning, which are an integral part of using pharmacotherapy to treat AUD.

Provides a compendium of strategies for enhancing client compliance to psychosocial treatments, as well as therapist compliance with treatment protocols, in treatment and research programs involving alcohol-using populations. Part 1 is directed to both clinicians and clinical researchers, and focuses on strategies for enhancing client compliance throughout treatment. Part 2 focuses on strategies for enhancing therapist compliance in treatment delivery through the use of treatment manuals and careful supervision of the therapists delivering the intervention. Many of the strategies in this manual were used in a multisite collaborative study.

From the President of the Research Society on Alcoholism The sixteenth volume of Recent Developments in Alcoholism contains the latest information on the field of alcoholism treatment research. This scholarly volume includes comprehensive reviews of the methodologies available to evaluate treatment outcome, state-of-the art psychosocial interventions, and recent advances in pharmacological adjuncts to treatment that are currently available and those on the brink of application. Other sections of the book address special issues in the treatment of alcohol dependence, including the treatment of the adolescents and other unique populations, the management of tobacco dependence, and the role of spirituality in recovery, among others. The clinician will find these reviews an important resource for learning about e- dence based treatments for alcoholism, and the researcher will find the synt- sis of recent developments informative and forward looking. The research agenda for the future rests soundly on the progress to date and additional advances in the treatment of alcoholism can be predicted in the near future. Stephanie O'Malley, Ph. D. President, Research Society on Alcoholism xi Preface From the President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine This excellent volume presents investigations covering a wide spectrum of scientific issues. It is also evident that many of these articles have clinical s- nificance, ranging from assessments of disorder, monitoring clinical progress, and behavioral and pharmacological interventions.