Promotional Information

"Through telling case examples, interviews with recovering alcoholics of all ages, accomplished professionals and executives, and through her own reflections, Sarah Allen Benton brings to awareness that the largest majority of alcoholics are high functioning and, too often, go undetected. Drawing on the experience of high functioning alcoholics, including her own experiences, this book is both instructive and inspiring." -- Edward J. Khantzian, MD Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at the Cambridge Health Alliance "I hope this book will help to puncture the myth that alcoholism/addiction is a condition associated with those with less education or lower incomes. Too often, individuals in powerful or highly respected positions suffer much longer than necessary because they and those around them (including their treatment providers) are blinded by their social status. Professionals may delude themselves despite facing a higher-than-average risk, seeking help only after their careers are coming apart." -- Jeffrey Fortgang, Ph.D., CAS Psychologist/Addictions Specialist for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers "Alcoholism has many faces and high functioning alcoholics are invisibly among us every day. Congratulations and thanks to Sarah Allen Benton for the courage she displays by showing her face and telling her story." -- David L. Rosenbloom, PhD Director, Join Together, Boston University School of Public Health "Sarah Allen Benton's work brings to life and thoroughly examines the risks and challenges that confront one-fifth of our nation's alcoholics, an often seemingly invisible element of our dysfunctional adolescents and adults, the high functioning alcoholic. This work will be a useful resource for lay person, professional and trainee interested in a realistic and professionally informed understanding of high functioning alcoholics and the Twelve-Step recovery process. Those whose loved ones are suffering and living the effects of high-functioning alcoholism as well as HFAs themselves will find important identifying information and resources for hope and change." -- Robert M. Klein, MD, MBA Director of Behavioral Health, Northeastern University Health and Counseling Services Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine "Sarah Benton's book Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic is a gift to both clinicians and clients alike. It is a thorough and insightful discussion of an often misunderstood and mistreated clinical group that frequently does not respond well to traditional psychotherapy, or psychopharmacology, or simply Twelve Step approaches. Sarah presents an integrated treatment approach in a highly personal and engaging way that truly bridges the gap between research, clinical work and moving personal experiences. Despite 35 years of working with this population of substance abusers, I was delighted to see how much I learned from Sarah's book. The highest compliment that I can pay her for this accomplishment is that I immediately thought of many clients and therapists that I could give it to." -- David Treadway, Ph.D.

Table of Contents

Part I: Active Alcoholism 1. Introduction: High-Functioning Alcoholics 2. In the Beginning: High-Functioning Alcoholics in High School 3. Freedom: High-Functioning Alcoholics in College 4. Adrift: High-Functioning Alcoholics as Emerging Adults 5. Falling Uphill: Professional, Intelligent and Alcoholic 6. Attempts to "Cure" the Problem: Out of Control and Hitting Bottom Part II. Recovery 7. A New Start: The Paths to Sobriety 8. Spirituality, Religion and the Bottle: Filling the Void 9. Transformation: The Twelve Steps 10. The Challenge: Life in Recovery

About the Author

Sarah Allen Benton is a licensed mental health counselor and therapist at McLean Hospital in the "McLean Residence at The Brook" transitional living program for substance abuse and dual diagnosis treatment in Waltham, MA.

Reviews

[E]xplores in depth a hidden class of alcoholics that are professionally successful; topics include High-Functioning Alcoholics (HFAs) in high school, college, and as emerging adults.
*ForeWard Reviews*