If You Work It, It Works

(Paperback)

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Gain a clear understanding of the science and latest research behind the success of the Twelve Steps, a critical program used by millions of people around the world to stay sober and one of the greatest social movements of our time.

Since the publication of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939, the Twelve Steps have been central to staying sober for millions of people around the world. Countless recovery and treatment organizations have adopted the Steps as their program for abstaining from addictive behaviors. But recently a growing chorus of critics has questioned the science behind this model. In this book, Nowinski calls upon the latest research, as well as his own seminal Project MATCH study, to show why systematically working a Twelve Step program yields predictable and successful outcomes.

Whether youre thinking of joining a Twelve Step group, or simply want to understand the science fueling one of the greatest social movements of our time, this book is for you. As any AA member will tell you, It works if you work it.

Reviews

In this book, Joe Nowinski once again proves his ability to integrate the science and experience of Alcoholics Anonymous and to explain both in clear, unpretentious language.
--Keith Humphreys, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University
Nowinski has done a great service by summarizing, synthesizing, and skillfully interpreting many of the landmark studies that demonstrate not only that AA and Twelve Step treatments are still relevant in twenty-first-century addiction health care, they are among the most effective interventions currently available.
--John F. Kelly, PhD, Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Joe makes the design and findings from complex research studies understandable to the lay reader, without dumbing it down, and with just the right amount of detail. The book thus represents a valuable new resource for anyone interested in a comprehensive summary of what we know about AA in terms of its effectiveness.
--Lee Kaskutas, Senior Scientist, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute
"This is straight talk about how and why the Twelve Steps help addicts stay sober in an increasingly substance-abusing world."
--Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight"
"In this book, Joe Nowinski once again proves his ability to integrate the science and experience of Alcoholics Anonymous and to explain both in clear, unpretentious language."
--Keith Humphreys, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University
"Nowinski has done a great service by summarizing, synthesizing, and skillfully interpreting many of the landmark studies that demonstrate not only that AA and Twelve Step treatments are still relevant in twenty-first-century addiction health care, they are among the "most" effective interventions currently available."
--John F. Kelly, PhD, Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School
"Joe makes the design and findings from complex research studies understandable to the lay reader, without dumbing it down, and with just the right amount of detail. The book thus represents a valuable new resource for anyone interested in a comprehensive summary of what we know about AA in terms of its effectiveness."
--Lee Kaskutas, Senior Scientist, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute
"This is straight talk about how and why the Twelve Steps help addicts stay sober in an increasingly substance-abusing world."
--Anna Jedrziewski, "Retailing Insight"

Author Bio

Joseph Nowinski, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has taught at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Connecticut, as well as serving as Supervising Psychologist, University of Connecticut Health Center. He is the author of Twelve Step Facilitation Therapy (TSF), listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices and Almost Alcoholic: Is My (or My Loved One's) Drinking a Problem with co-author Robert Doyle, and blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. Nowinski lives in Hartford, Connecticut.