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Therapists must address and assess for substance abuse disorders.

Annie Grace's self-help book, This Naked Mind, has helped scores of readers transform their level of use.

Like schools of therapy, not every approach to substance abuse will work for everyone.

Now that we know more about the dangers of alcohol use, this book is even more important.

With distillers experimenting with alcohol-free spirits, bartenders getting wildly creative with mocktails, and study after study debunking myths about the health benefits of moderate drinking, it is striking how many people still report having several drinks each night to unwind. I always ask about the amount of alcohol and substance use at the beginning of therapy, because if someone is addicted to—or even dependent upon—a substance, the impact of therapy can be limited. In these situations, the main help I can provide usually relates to aiding a client's realization that they need to seek substance abuse treatment.

How should therapists address and assess for substance abuse disorders? And has the assessment equation changed now that it has become increasingly clear that alcohol may be far more harmful than previously believed?

One strategy I find helpful is encouraging clients who report daily or near-daily use to read This Naked Mind by Annie Grace.

She opens with a provocative question:

“What if, by reversing years of unconscious conditioning, you could return to the perspective of a non-drinker?”

Grace proceeds to talk readers through her strategy to return to a mental state where the desire for a drink disappears. She blends snippets from her personal struggle with alcohol abuse........

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