What really worked? A case analysis and discussion of confrontational intervention for substance abuse in marginalized women.

Confrontations, including ultimatums and withdrawal of services, are used by health care providers to break down denial in substance abusers. This case analysis and discussion explores the ramifications of confrontation for marginalized women and raises questions about the ethics and efficacy of this approach for substance abusers in general. Nursing is beginning to incorporate substance abuse as a substantive area of knowledge and practice. It is argued in this article that nurses should not uncritically adopt the current orthodoxy about this problem, but view it anew from our own unique, comprehensive perspective.