Book Review: Walters, S. T. & Baer, J. S. (2006). Talking With College Students About Alcohol: Motivational Strategies for Reducing Abuse. New York: Guilford Press, xii, 212pp

• DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332872
• Published date: 01 June 2009
• Date: 01 June 2009
• Subject Matter: Articles

Book Reviews 299

Walters, S. T. & Baer, J. S. (2006). Talking With College Students About Alcohol:

Motivational Strategies for Reducing Abuse. New York: Guilford Press, xii, 212pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332872

Talking With College Students About Alcohol is a welcome addition to a growing amount

of discussion and concern over the proper and most effective methods to discuss this critical

topic with students. Scott Walters and John Baer offer an excellent discussion of both the need

to discuss this topic with students as well as examples of such discussions in practice.

Although geared to the practitioner, this text offers useful insights for students, academics,

and field practitioners alike. Individuals with less training in this area will find the book to be

a concise introduction to methods of discussing alcohol use and change with students. Veteran

practitioners will also find this text useful in brushing up on their skills, keeping up to date

with the literature on college student alcohol consumption and assessments, and refreshing

their skills on motivational interviewing. Both authors are experienced researchers and pro-

fessors who have dedicated much of their careers to substance abuse prevention, treatment,

relapse, and recovery. Walters and Baer sought to take existing techniques offered in the field

and combine them into a more concise, easy-to-use handbook for professionals.

Chapters one and two of the book introduce readers to the nature of drinking on college

campuses and the efforts of professionals to respond to college drinking. The authors offer a

brief yet well-rounded discussion of the rates of drinking among college students and the

consequences, misconceptions, and student perceptions of campus drinking. Although drink-

ing unarguably creates a wide array of problems that vary across college campuses, it is also

apparent that not every student drinks, and students have varying perceptions of drinking. In

addition, drinking on college campuses has been somewhat sensationalized by media and

other agencies, but the truth behind the issue is that most students drink moderately and even

those who drink heavily report few, if any, negative consequences. Professionals have made

attempts to discuss these issues with students, but efforts are often met with defensiveness as

most students do not believe their drinking is a concern or that it is any different than that of

their peers. Although a wide array of techniques have been offered to assist counselors and

professionals in talking with students and assessing their personal drinking patterns, there is

a clear need for a concise, easy-to-follow handbook for professionals to best combine and

utilize these techniques. This is what Talking With College Students About Alcohol offers.

Chapters three and four of the text offer the readers recommendations for the best assess-

ment and interviewing techniques for college student drinking. Although the researchers

admit that one limitation of the recommendations is the limited amount of research on col-

lege assessments, the recommendations made in chapter three for assessing alcohol

involvement (drinking rate, negative consequences, and alcohol dependence diagnosis) and

screening measures offer an excellent and easy-to-follow introduction that helps set up the

remainder of the chapters in the text. In addition, the authors offer examples of conversation

that can be utilized by professionals for assessing students’ drinking rate and consequences,

and interviewing techniques are offered based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria. Walters and

Baer recommend the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for alcohol