This extensively revised new edition provides a practical guide to
understanding, assessing and managing physical, psychological and social
complications related to drug and alcohol use. It presents a clear
review of the aetiology, epidemiology, prevention and treatment of the
problematic use of and dependence on alcohol, illicit and prescribed
drugs. In doing so it strikes a balance between theory, recent research
and practical clinical guidance. New chapters focus on novel psychiatric
substances, smoking cessation interventions, mutual aid groups and
family interventions. Written by leading specialists in the field and
closely following the MRCPsych curriculum, this book is an ideal
resource for trainees preparing for their RCPsych membership
examinations, but is also relevant to psychiatrists at all career
levels. It will also appeal to other healthcare professionals, all of
whom should be able to screen for alcohol and drug use disorders,
deliver brief interventions, and signpost those with more severe
disorders to specialist care.