Clinician's Guide to the 12 Step Principles

Rating:
Summary: An important book for anyone with questions about addiction
Review: Dr. Seppala's book deals with a very important and little understood topic in a wonderfully straightforward manner. The 12 step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.) are so often in the public eye from references in the lay press that these programs have become poorly understood cliches. This book strips away what you thought you knew, and fills in the gaps with well supported information on what simple and effective things 12 step programs actually are.

Any clinician, in any specialty, interacts frequently with addiction issues in their patients and in their personal lives. This book fills what is all to often a void in the educational backgrounds of healthcare providers by teaching what the 12 steps are and how an addict seeking help can find time tested and effective help in these programs. The most interesting thing about this book is the unapologetic way in which the critical element of spirituality is addressed. For too long sprirituality has been a taboo subject in the cooly rational world of medical education. This book emphasizes that spirituality is the foundation upon which recovery from addictive illness is built one day at a time.

I agree with the earlier reviewer that this book is not simply for clinicians, but is an excellent resource for anyone seeking an understanding of what is meant by a "12-step program" and wondering whether and how these programs succeed in addressing addictive behaviors.

Rating:
Summary: Too Good to Keep Just for Clinicians
Review: Marvin Seppala has done it! He has gone where no other M.D. in recent memory has been willing to go. By writing this concise yet provocative book, Dr. Seppala has given us a window into the world of twelve step recovery programs. He shows a great respect for the ability of people of all walks of life to engage in a "mutual" support program in order to save their lives and the lives of countless others.

This book takes significant risks, particularly in the realm of spirituality. Seppala is no apologist for a spiritually-based approach to recovery from addictive disease. To the contrary, he makes a compelling case for the need of clinicians to better understand spirituality and its role in their patients' healing process. The book is essentially outlined along the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Each chapter gives the reader an in-depth understanding of the intent and the impact of each particular step; and while Seppala may be accused of being an unabashed twelve step cheerleader, he also shows the ability to employ cool reasoning in his chapter that addresses criticisms of twelve step programs. I know of no other book like this anywhere; and as a chemical dependency counselor as well as an interventionist, I welcome this book with gratitude and enthusiasm. This text has already allowed me to introduce otherwise reluctant clinicians and family members to the principles of twelve step recovery in a sound, rational and academic manner. The feedback I've received has been overwhelmingly positive.

If you know of clinicians and/or families that need a primer on the principles of twelve step recovery- what it is and what it isn't- you've found it with A Clinicians Guide to the Twelve Steps. Dr. Seppala has synthesized the essence of this elegant fellowship and brought it to the doorsteps of us all. The only significant criticism I might add is that the title is insufficient. This book lends itself extremely well to both the clinician and the layperson; I believe it will become a classic in the field.