It was once taken for granted that peer-assisted groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous had no real value in recovery from addiction. More recently, evidence-based medicine is recognizing a spiritual component in healingespecially when it comes to addiction. The newest edition of Recent Developments in Alcoholism reflects this change by focusing on the 12-step model of recovery as well as mindfulness meditation and other spiritually oriented activity. More than thirty contributors bring together historical background, research findings, and clinical wisdom to analyze the compatibility of professional treatment and nonprofessional support, day-to-day concepts of relapse prevention, the value of community building in recovery, and much more.

Among the topics covered: (1) How and why 12-step groups work. (2) The impact of the spiritual on mainstream treatment. (3) The impact of AA on other nonprofessional recovery programs. (4) AA outcomes for special populations. (5) Facilitating involvement in 12-step programs. (6) Methods for measuring religiousness and spirituality in alcohol research.

Whether one is referring clients to 12-step programs or seeking to better understand the process, this is a unique resource for clinicians and social workers. Developmental psychologists, too, will find Volume 18Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery a worthy successor to the series.

The Twelve-Step Program.- Introduction: The Twelve-Step Program Model of AA.- The Twelve-Step Recovery Model of AA: A Voluntary Mutual Help Association.- Twelve Defining Moments in the History of Alcoholics Anonymous.- The Impact of AA on Professional Treatment.- The Impact of Alcoholics Anonymous on Other Substance Abuse-Related Twelve-Step Programs.- The Impact of AA on Non-Professional Substance Abuse Recovery Programs and Sober Living Houses.- Spiritually Oriented Recovery.- An Overview of Spirituality in AA (and Recovery).- The Concept of Spirituality in Relation to Addiction Recovery and General Psychiatry.- Kickbacks from Helping Others: Health and Recovery.- Issues in Measuring Spirituality and Religiousness in Alcohol Research.- Spirituality and Health: Empirically Based Reflections on Recovery.- Spiritual Change in Recovery.- Mindfulness and Addiction.- Twelve-Step Membership.- Epidemiology of Alcoholics Anonymous Participation.- Concerns About Dose and Underutilization of Twelve-Step Programs: Models, Scales, and Theory that Inform Treatment Planning.- Facilitating Involvement in Twelve-Step Programs.- Twelve-Step Facilitation in Non-specialty Settings.- Effectiveness and Outcome Research.- Alcoholics Anonymous Outcomes and Benefits.- Outcomes of AA for Special Populations.- How and Why Twelve-Step Self-Help Groups Are Effective.- Individual and Contextual Factors That Influence AA Affiliation and Outcomes.