Containing the Uncontainable: Alcohol Misuse and the Personal Choice Community Programme

One of the first books on abstinence-based treatment to integrate psychoanalytic and cognitive/behavioural models structurally, Containing the Uncontainable is a practical account of establishing and maintaining treatment with problem drinkers who might otherwise fail to achieve their stated aims. The programme described is particularly relevant for those who are unable to make attachments, or otherwise make use of AA, yet need an intensive, supportive, abstinence-based treatment experience. The treatment model described should be of interest to professionals working in the alcohol misuse field who find their psycho/social, cognitive/behavioural programmes are ineffective yet do not see the AA/12 Step approach as an option. The model has direct applications to working with a wide range of substance misusers, eating disorders and those diagnosed with personality disorders as well as the dually diagnosed.

The book begins by reviewing the pros and cons of the most common treatment interventions for alcohol problems and then defines the features that lead to treatment resistance. The practice section of the book is straightforward and is easily replicated in most outpatient settings. The section on relevant psychoanalytic theory is at the heart of the book, although the author, a social worker and group analyst, hopes that the ideas underpinning her model make a case for keeping most substance misuse away from the analytic consulting room and most interpretation away from the alcohol misuse service.