The Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems have been periodically developed over the past 25 years. In 1993, the first version of these guidelines, titled: ‘An outline for the management of alcohol problems: Quality assurance in the treatment of drug dependence project’ was published (Mattick & Jarvis 1993). The Australian Government commissioned an update a decade later (Shand et al. 2003) and a further edition in 2009 to integrate the Guidelines with the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol (National Health and Medical Research Council, NHMRC 2009; Haber et al., 2009). The present version of the Guidelines was also commissioned by the Commonwealth of Australia to remain current and integrated with the updated NHMRC consumption guidelines (2020). In order to ensure that guidelines remain relevant, the next set of guidelines should be updated in 2025, consistent with NHMRC recommendation that guidelines be updated every five years. These guidelines aim to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to clinicians on available treatments for people with alcohol problems and are largely directed towards individual clinicians in practice, such as primary care physicians (general practitioners, nursing staff), specialist medical practitioners, psychologists and other counsellors, and other health professionals. Some chapters highlight service or system level issues that impact on clinicians and their patients. These include recommendations concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, stigma, and discrimination. Elsewhere, organisation capacity is implied, such as medical resources for withdrawal management where recommendations indicate use of medications. As all forms of treatment will not be readily available or suitable for all populations or settings, these guidelines may require interpretation and adaptation.

Twelfth-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes was one of the most influential figures in Western literature, for his romantic poems on the legend of King Arthur gave rise to a tradition of storytelling that continues to this day. This important and fascinating book is a study of all of Chrétien’s work. Joseph J. Duggan begins with an introduction that sets Chrétien within the social and intellectual currents of his time. He then organizes the book in chapters that focus on major issues in Chrétien’s romances rather than on individual works, topics that range from the importance of kinship and genealogy to standards of secular moral responsibility and from Chrétien’s art of narration to his representation of knighthood. Duggan offers new perspectives on many of these themes: in a chapter on the influence of Celtic mythology, for example, he gives special attention to the ways Chrétien integrated portrayals of motivation with mythic themes and characters, and in discussing the Grail romance, he explores the parallels between Perceval’s and Gauvain’s adventures.

One of literature's greatest gifts is its portrayal of realistically drawn characters--human beings in whom we can recognize motivations and emotions. In Imagined Human Beings, Bernard J. Paris explores the inner conflicts of some of literature's most famous characters, using Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories to understand the behavior of these characters as we would the behavior of real people. When realistically drawn characters are understood in psychological terms, they tend to escape their roles in the plot and thus subvert the view of them advanced by the author. A Horneyan approach both alerts us to conflicts between plot and characterization, rhetoric and mimesis, and helps us understand the forces in the author's personalty that generate them. The Horneyan model can make sense of thematic inconsistencies by seeing them as the product of the author's inner divisions. Paris uses this approach to explore a wide range of texts, including Antigone, "The Clerk's Tale," The Merchant of Venice, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, The Awakening, and The End of the Road.

Chrétien de Troyes's reference to Macrobius on the art of description is indicative of the link between the vernacular literary tradition of rewriting and the Latin tradition of imitation. Crucial to this study are writings that bridge the span between elementary school exercises in imitation and the masterpieces of the art in Latin and French. The book follows the development of the medieval art of imitation through Macrobius and commentaries on Horace's Art of Poetry and then applies it to the interpretation of works on the Trojan War, consent in love and marriage, and lyric and vernacular insertions.

In Bringing the Prophets to Life, Rabbi Neil Winkler offers us a masterful source of inspiration and insight into the early prophets. He shows us that in order to understand the vital messages of the stories, we must go beyond a simple translation of the text and identify the themes of the stories, as well as the struggles and challenges that faced the outstanding personalities of each era: the warriors and the women, the prophets and the kings.

Rabbi Yudin's warm personality and divrei Torah have inspired tens of thousands of his community members, students and radio listeners for over three decades. In this volume - his first book - readers will be intrigued by original, fascinating questions and inspired by deep and uplifting explanations. Crafted over thirty years of popular radio drashos and beloved by listeners both old and young, these thoughts are ideal to bring to your Shabbos table. Rabbi Benjamin Yudin has been Rav of Congregation Shomrei Torah in Fair Lawn, New Jersey since 1969, and has taught at Yeshiva university for decades. Most famously, Rabbi Yudin gives a popular weekly radio drasha on JM in the AM.