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Drug Handbook

Zili Sloboda and William J. Bukoski (Eds.), Handbook of Drug Abuse Prevention: Theory, Science, and Practice. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003. $150.00 hardcover.

In the early days of substance abuse prevention, most prevention practices and policies were designed and implemented in terms of the "best thinking" of individuals and communities. Programs and strategies aimed at addressing the problem were developed using ordinary and common sense approaches. Prevention efforts, such as the now infamous 'Just Say No' campaign of the mid-1980s, were neither effective nor instrumental in affecting individual or public health.

Much of the ineffectiveness of early substance abuse prevention efforts has been attributed to a lack of methodologically-sound and theoretically-based prevention research. Without empirical evidence to base and support the decision-making processes of substance abuse prevention designers, implementers, and evaluators, the field has left itself open to criticism and skepticism from practitioners and policymakers alike. Fortunately, there now appears to be increasing recognition of the value and necessity of theory- and evidence-based prevention practices. The text under review is a product of the recent progress made in the field of substance abuse prevention toward establishing a practical foundation supported by research and science. It represents a concerted effort to summarize the latest information in the field of substance abuse prevention.

In their Handbook of Drug Abuse Prevention, Sloboda and Bukoski have ambitiously attempted to construct a comprehensive text on substance abuse prevention. The final work is quite large, containing eight major areas of focus, thirty-three chapters, and nearly seven hundred pages of information. The book is designed to cover a broad range of topics, but its focus is predominantly substance abuse prevention research. The book is also heavily weighted toward adolescents as a population. The contributors are impressive and represent some of the most prominent scholars and researchers in the field of substance abuse prevention today (for example., Botvin, Brook, Catalano, Dishion, Kumpfer, and Pentz). The eight areas of focus in the book include, (an) Historical Overview; Social Contexts of Prevention; Prevention as Social Control; Theoretical and Empirical Foundations; Special Populations; Interactions between Biology and Social Context-Risks for Multiple Behavioral and Mental Disorders; Research Design, Measurement, and Data Analytic Issues; and Drug Abuse Prevention: A Look into the Future.

There is a diversity of knowledge and perspective within Sloboda and Bukoski's book. Chapter topics range from the expected areas of substance abuse prevention--family, peers, school, and community--to areas less frequently referenced, such as the workplace and the media. Four chapters are dedicated to substance abuse prevention with various ethnic groups. There is also a very innovative chapter on substance abuse prevention through the use of computer technology. A number of chapters in the text have been dedicated to methodological issues in prevention research. These chapters relate to such issues as research design, measurement, and data analysis. The chapters on research methodology are among some of the finest in the text, however, most readers will find them very challenging. The editors' goal of constructing a text that will appeal to practitioners, policymakers, students, and lay persons, as well as researchers, is seriously challenged by the complexity and sophistication of the material presented in these chapters. Hopefully, this will not limit the book's audience.

For the most part, the text is well structured and very well written. Some noteworthy exceptions would include an ill-conceived section on Prevention as Social Control; and a chapter on 'Gender Issues in Substance Abuse Prevention' that is also rather poorly done. The section on social control contains only two chapters, neither of which explicitly addresses the issue of substance abuse prevention as an agent of social control. The chapter on gender issues is short, underdeveloped, and contains seemingly contradictory material. On the other hand, the strengths of the text can be found in its very impressive demonstration of the use of theory in driving and framing prevention research. However, as with the literature on research methodology, this information may not be appreciated by a wider audience. Another strength of the text lies in its utility as a reference for previous research and literature in the field of substance abuse and, in particular, adolescent substance abuse prevention. Many chapters provide fairly extensive literature and prevention program reviews, although not all are the most up to date. Some chapters feel dated, citing DSM-III-R criteria, and having less-than-current reference sections.

Perhaps, one of the most distressing qualities of the text is the overwhelming feeling of self-service one gets while reading some of the chapters. Readers may begin to wonder whether many of the contributors intended to utilize this text solely as a forum to present their own research rather than a vehicle for informing readers on a particular substance abuse prevention topic. Some first authors reference themselves as many as twenty-five and thirty times, citing works with apparently very similar, if not identical, content. This may leave the reader questioning the objectivity and credibility of some of the information presented.

Despite these limitations, the Handbook for Drug Abuse Prevention is a good book. Researchers and academics will probably appreciate it more than most practitioners and policymakers. Although I would not recommend this work as a textbook for a course in substance abuse prevention, as a reference book, it does have very good value.

Sean R Hogan

University of California, Berkeley

COPYRIGHT 2004 Western Michigan University, School of Social Work
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group