Editorial

In this second issue of Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, volume 40, we present special groups and considerations in treatment and recovery for alcohol use (AUD) and substance use disorders (SUD).

The first section focuses on young adults and college students. Whitney utilizes phenomenological methodology to analyze narratives of students in collegiate recovery programs (CRP) in three large public research universities. In this article, topics of recovery, identity, aligning with recovery groups, social implications of being “cool” and pursuing academic success and professional careers are explored. Gerber et al., support the expansion of collegiate recovery programs by providing a cost–benefit analysis of developing CRPs in institutions of higher learning. Brett et al., present findings showing that a values-based feedback added to the standard web-based personalized feedback intervention content utilized by college students in a large public university resulted in significant reductions in alcohol consumption and related consequences.

Jason et al., report on facilitation of relationships and organizational characteristics in recovery homes being significant in understanding risk factors for eviction outcomes. Patterson Silver Wolf’s group analyzed data from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) and created profiles of individuals with alcohol use disorder who may be more likely to be treatment resistant in the interest of informing and shaping individualized AUD treatment.

This next section presents articles on people with mental health disorders comorbid with alcohol and substance use disorders. Litchke explored the benefit of a combined recreation therapy with complementary physical and creative arts activities followed by a 12-step Christian meeting among adult residents with mental health and substance use disorders. This group of investigators finds a reduction in anxiety and perceived stress with improvements in resiliency and positive mood even as depression remained. Hune explores the experience of disconnectedness among persons with schizophrenia and substance use disorders.

The findings of Schuckher and Sellin suggest the outcomes of AUD for socially stable women are enhanced with a treatment focus on the patient’s own goals of abstinence. This was found to be the most stable outcome leading the authors to posit that in this population it may be a strong motivating factor for success.

We conclude this issue with a focus on the education component in treatment and recovery. Wylie and Zacharoff tackle the current opioid epidemic from the perspective of medical education. They offer four educational initiatives relating to comprehensive pain management, neuropsychiatric perspective of SUD, exposure and training opportunities, and enhancement of standard of care through evidence-based medicine.

The ATQ encourages comments from our readers and submissions from new and past authors for research, reviews, as well as both prospective and perspective pieces on wide range of AUD and SUD topics.