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KBS Thematic Meeting:  International Conference on Natural History of Addictions:  Recovery from Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Problems without Treatment

Organisers: Harald Klingemann and Linda Sobell
Place:  Les Diablerets, Switzerland
Dates:  7-12 March 1999

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Hosted by the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems, this symposium comprised roughly two dozen papers on natural remission--covering a variety of substances, methodologies, time frames, and cultural settings.

Several papers were selected by conference organisers Klingemann and Sobell for submission to ADDICTION, where (as of this writing--15 Aug 99) the journal's review process is still ongoing.  An edited volume springing from the conference experience and topic is also in the works.

Future plans include a follow-up conference.  A listserve group has been created for KBS members interested in this topic (contact Marcia Russell).

--Ron Roizen

From the Call for Papers:

The Thematic Meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol, hosted by the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems.

Many people overcome substance use problems without professional assistance; most problem drinkers never enter treatment. The dominance of the disease concept of addiction and methodological difficulties in gaining access to these hidden populations have impeded research in this area. Since the mid-1980's, however a revival of this line of research has been seriously pursued. Studies in the 1990's in several countries used qualitative and quantitative methods to describe individual change within a life history/life event approach; efforts were made to estimate recovery rates based on survey data; the therapeutic implications of cognitive appraisal and motivation for change were highlighted; the phenomenon of multiple resolutions (e.g. quitting from smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs) and the macro-societal conditions which may promote recoveries have been discussed. Such research, however, has been scattered around the globe and there is now need for a systematic review of what has been achieved and the identification of future research priorities.

This conference will bring together researchers from around the world who have an interest in natural recovery research to discuss the following themes:

    - Natural recovery rates in cross-national comparisons;
      cultural aspects of change
    - Life event research; limits and new directions
    - Implications of research findings for therapeutic interventions
    - Barriers to treatment
    - Gender specific factors of natural recovery
    - A critical assessment of theories of change
    - Group-situation-society: contextual conditions of change
    - Consequences of natural recovery research for prevention policies
    - Number crunching and text crunching - methods of qualitative
      analysis (workshop)

For further details please contact:

    Harold Klingemann
    Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and other Drug
    Problems (SIPA)
    Case postale 870
    CH-1001 Lausanne
    Switzerland
    Tel: 41-21-321 5955
    Fax: 41-21-321 2940
    E-mail: hklingemann@sfa-.ispa.ch
 

 

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