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Help Them Beat the Booze – How to Survive Life with a Problem Drinker
Author: Edmund Tirbutt, Helen Tirbutt
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 231pp
ISBN: 9781905744794
Review
This is an interesting book on alcohol misuse, written by a couple whose lives have been affected by problem drinking. The authors aim to discuss the positive ways in which life can go forward, even in the face of extreme problems.
The title and content cover two aspects of their work, but the sense of extreme desperation known to all partners of problem drinkers is barely described. A really dynamic approach is needed to survive life with a drinker.
The authors remind us that only the addict can ‘beat’ the problem, yet the title and large portions of the book – as well as some of the references – emphasise the role of others. The authors ask if partners can take the risk of not being there, which could be unhelpful and add to a spouse’s guilt or confusion.
I would not recommend this book to a new Al-Anon member. As a nurse, I emphasise self-care for the spouse of any drinker, and a realistic examination of whether his or her partner is ready to change. Only then can support be useful.
Reviewer: Greta McGough
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The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.