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NEWS FROM
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
March 4, 2009
Cambridge Health Alliance Clinician Offers Innovative
Approach to Understanding Addictions in New Book
- Latest Addictions Research to be Presented at
Conference on March 6-7 in Boston -
Cambridge, MA...Addiction is commonly perceived as a chemical
imbalance in the brain or simply as moral weakness. But these perceptions
ignore the deep personal pain that can permeate the lives of the
addicted, argues Mark Albanese, MD, Director of Addictions Treatment
Services at Cambridge Health Alliance.
In the new book Understanding Addiction as Self Medication:
Finding Hope Behind the Pain (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc.), Dr. Albanese and co-author Edward J. Khantzian, MD, take
an honest look at the underlying emotional or mental issues which
illuminate not only the cause of addiction, but also the cure. As
leading researchers in the field of addiction, Drs. Albanese and
Khantzian offer practical advice, compelling case studies, and nuanced
theory drawn from their years in clinical practice.
Understanding Addiction as Self Medication examines a range
of addictions, including alcohol and substance abuse, and clearly
explains how to understand other addictive behaviors through the
lens of the Self Medication Hypothesis (SMH), a theory developed
by the authors. The SMH emphasizes that, as psychological pain is
at the heart of addictive behavior, vulnerable individuals resort
to their addictions because they discover that the addictive substance
or behavior provides short-term relief and comfort. The book offers
an in-depth analysis of the SMH and provides a much-needed guide
to both understanding addictions and working towards healing.
Drs. Albanese and Khantzian are also co-directors of the annual
Treating the Addictions conference, sponsored by Harvard Medical
School and Cambridge Health Alliance. The conference, to be held
on March 6-7 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, will present the latest
clinical, theoretical, and research findings on addictions and is
aimed at all health and mental health professionals, educators,
treatment specialists, and others interested in addictive disorders.
For more information, visit www.cambridgecme.org.
In addition to his role at Cambridge Health Alliance, Mark J. Albanese,
MD, is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard
Medical School. Edward J. Khantzian, MD, is a clinical professor
of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Department
of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning
health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville,
and Boston's metro-north communities. It includes three hospital
campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, the
Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA
is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated
with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine,
and Tufts University School of Medicine. Visit us online at www.challiance.org.
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Media Contact
David Cecere
Media Relations Manager
Phone: 617-503-8428
Cell: 617-921-9613
Pager: 617-546-1879
dcecere@challiance.org
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