Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of clients. The authors describe and offer counterarguments to objections to EBP. These objections could result in premature dismissal of this new form of practice and education that offers potential benefits to social work and its clients. Objections to EBP fall into six categories: (a) arguments from ignorance about the nature of EBP, (b) misinterpreted professional standards, (c) arguments appealing to tradition, (d) ad hominem arguments, (e) arguments on ethical grounds, and (f) philosophical arguments.Reviewing objections to EBP may help us to increase our understanding of barriers to use of practicerelated research findings in the helping professions and honoring related requirements described in our code of ethics.

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This literature review is a systematic attempt to isolate the personal characteristics of alcoholics generally associated with their prognosis. Forty-five studies which met certain standards for inclusion are summarized here. The description of each study and its corresponding list of characteristics of alcoholics investigated for prognostic value are reported in tables. The tables do not reveal stable predictors across the studies, though some personal characteristics are more generally of predictive value than are others. A number of reasons for the absence of predictor stability are discussed--among them the possibility that certain treatments may work best with certain alcoholic patients.

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