Alan Marlatt, Harm-Reduction Pioneer, Dies at 69

The addictions field has lost a pioneer: G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., renowned researcher and harm-reduction advocate, died on March 14 at age 69.

Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington and professor of psychology, focused much of his clinical and research life on relapse prevention and harm reduction, opening doors for ideas that once were considered heretical, Jim Brunner noted March 17 in The Seattle Times.

“He was a visionary and a luminary. He generated ideas that were ahead of their time in so many different ways,” said Dennis Donovan, director of the UW Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.

“Alan had an enormous influence on the addictions field that continues beyond his passing,” said Reid Hester, director of the research division of Behavior Therapy Associates in Time magazine. “His focus on harm reduction lowered the barriers for many to engage in treatment and self-change of their addictive behaviors. He was also warm, empathic and a dear friend to many. For those of us who knew him, he will be sorely missed.” 

For more on Marlatt, read:

• “Alan Marlatt, UW researcher respected worldwide, dies at 69,” Brunner’s piece in The Seattle Times;
• “A Giant has Fallen: G. Alan Marlatt, 1941-2011,” from the UW Alcohol and Drug Institute; and
• “Appreciation: G. Alan Marlatt Brought Compassion to Addiction Treatment” by Maia Szalavitz in Time.