Provides fresh perspectives on alcoholism treatment and research, describing the work of researchers at the Novosibirsk Medical Institute, USSR. Using specific examples of their studies in Siberia, the editors offer an innovative approach to the treatment of addictive disorders in general. Instead of focusing on the drinking behaviour itself, the treatment focuses on the relationship of the problem to the interaction of economic, social and psychological factors. To address the question of whether alcoholics should all be treated in the same way, or if alcoholism treatment should be more individualized in approach, chapters are devoted to the differences between alcoholism in women, adolescents and alcoholics who are afflicted with "rapid development of alcoholism syndrome".