Reviews (162)

Frustrating and offensive
It seems to me that there is FAR too little focas on the entireity of those who suffer from eatig disorders and self injurous behavior. I do mean suffer, because there is more to the whole picture than hurting themselves.
Book holds valuable information.
As I read through the reviews of "The Best Little Girl in the World", I just had to throw in my two cents.
Worthy of a read
While I understand that people view this book as setting anorexic standards to the anorexic, I do consider this to be a good book. I think it is important to bear in mind the time period that this was written in (it's a pretty early book on ED considering it was first published in 1979).
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Subjects:  1. Eating Disorders - General    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Self-Help / Eating Disorders   

Reviews (1)

Substance abuse Counseling: Theory and Practice
The book is well written.It provides the reader with an easy reading experience while still providing the necessary information about substance abuse. I definately recommend it for anyone who is looking to learn more about substance abuse.
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Subjects:  1. Counseling - Crisis Management    2. Counseling of    3. Education    4. Patients    5. Psychopathology - Addiction    6. Recovery    7. Self-Help    8. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General    9. Substance abuse    10. Treatment    11. Counselling    12. Drug addiction & substance abuse    13. Education / Counseling / Crisis Management   

Editorial Review

Martin Torgoff came of age just about the same time as the drug boom, a circumstance that informs his overview of America's "Great Stoned Age." Chronicling the irrepressible onslaught of mind-altering substances from the end of World War II through the close of the century, Torgoff (whose previous publishing efforts have centered around rockers Elvis Presley and John Cougar Mellencamp) intersperses the personal with the historical. Laying the groundwork with his own recollections of indulgence beginning in the late 1960s, the author flashes back to the Beat era, which he asserts opened the door for all that followed. Interviews with the obscure and celebrated add color and detail to the chronicle. Here's Herbert Huncke, the unapologetic hustler and heroin addict who lurked on the periphery of '50s bohemian scene and turned up as a character in William Burroughs' pulp memoir Read more

Reviews (4)

So what is the answer?
If you have been there then you know the answer. The question is: Why did we travel there in the first place. Addictions are sneaky. Sometimes we write about them, other times we fight them. Addicted movie stars are just addicts. Hard drugs have no respect for who we are.

California Al
I wanted to be interested in this book, but it became pretty boring ater a while. There is an undercurrent of romanticism that pervades the authors purpose. He claims to be neutral, yet his descriptions and conversations with many of the people slant towards idol worship. Although the author claims to be in recovery, I did not get the sense of how drugs and alcohol can ruin peoples lives. I felt that his narrative was self serving, and glorifying the wonders of drugs and experimentation. There is a price to pay. What was good was hearing his father's take on the whole down side of watching his son grow up loaded. That was interesting. I'm getting weary of the proselytizing about how epochal the 1960's, 70's and 80's were. I didn't like his picture either.

GREAT BOOK FOR UNIVERSITY COURSES!!!
I'm reading this book a bit at a time.Each part is like a little history lesson - full of specific people, places and things that I've heard a lot of stories about - usually from folks who didn't have a great deal of clarity when they were either living through them OR speaking about them.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Popular Culture - General    6. United States - 20th Century    7. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    8. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    9. Crime & criminology    10. Drug addiction & substance abuse    11. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    12. Social Science / General    13. USA   

Editorial Review

Psychiatric drugs are prescribed to more than 20 million Americans. This book aims to convince us to stop taking these drugs, and to show us how to do it safely. The authors contend that after 15 minutes with a physician or psychiatrist, Americans are prescribed medications that we may take for years or a lifetime, which can do more harm than good. We're irritable, anxious, emotionally numbed, physically fatigued, and mentally dulled. Yet when we stop taking the drugs, we encounter a whole new set of problems and setbacks.Read more

Reviews (40)

Thank you, Peter Breggin
I'm glad Peter Breggin is telling the truth about the dangerous drugs that are being pushed on more and more of us.The drugs that are supposed to "fix" people are turning them into zombies, and more of our children are drugged each day.
Down from 32 to 5 pills a day
My wife has reduced her medication from 32 pills a day to 5 a day using the gradual reduction approach described in this book.She was withdrawn and unable to interact with the children at all before.Now she is her children's "Mommy" in a much more real sense and can actually experience real joy from time to time (not possible shen emotions are suppressed by the drugs).This author may seem extreme, but if you want to try reducing you medication, get the book and follow the advice whether you agree with the reasons for wholesale criticism of psychiatric meds or not.

life saver!
This is a very good and honest book, helping people overdiagnosed and overmedicated.I am one who read this after being told I would do terrible if not taking psychiatric drugs over 5 years ago and I read this book, changed counselors, and was able to come off psychiatric medication that was making it difficult for me to function.I am doing fine now, dealing with problems in a sensible way, getting along well with others, working, and enjoying life, with no psychiatric treatment, only compassionate counseling that I find is helpful.I recommend it for anyone prescribed psychiatric medication or studying psychology.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Health Care Issues    3. Mood Disorders    4. Psychology    5. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    6. Coping with drug & alcohol abuse    7. Coping with illness    8. Psychiatry    9. Health/Health Care   

Subjects:  1. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    2. Social Science    3. Social Work    4. Sociology    5. Sociology - General    6. Substance Abuse    7. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General    8. Drug addiction & substance abuse    9. Political Science / Social Services & Welfare    10. Social welfare & social services   

Reviews (14)

awakening
This book was recommended by my therapist and after reading it I gave it to a friend who is also an adult child of an alcoholic.I haven't got the book back so I'm buying another copy for myself.I NEED to read it again and again. It opened my eyes and put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together for me. Although it's hard to face some of the realities this book points out, I believe it to be one of the vital steps I am taking in trying to change my life for the better. It's never too late.

accurate and helpful
claudia black is a respected author in the field of addictions.she writes for adults and children for both alcoholics and their families.i have read many books in this area and she is one of my favorite authors.the book is short, accutate,compassionately written, and forever timely. worth reading!

Excellent Insight into Who I am and Why
I read this book AFTER reading ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS by Janet Woititz.Both provided me with insight into a problem I only recently realized I have.However, Black's book is both easier to read and has more detailed analysis.She divides ACoAs into four categories:The Responsible One, The Adjuster, The Placater, and "Acting Out".I fit the profile of Responsible in every way.I now understand myself better, and am beginning therapy for the first time in my life at the age of 55.Thank you, Dr. Black, for opening my eyes! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Children of Alcoholics    2. Personal Growth - Happiness    3. Self-Help    4. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    5. Coping with drug & alcohol abuse    6. Drug addiction & substance abuse    7. Self-Help / Substance Abuse   

Subjects:  1. Alcoholics    2. Drug addicts    3. Family    4. Family Relationships    5. Rehabilitation    6. Self-Help    7. Substance Abuse    8. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General    9. Drug addiction & substance abuse    10. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    11. Popular psychology    12. Self-Help / Substance Abuse   

Reviews (1)

Altho a difficult read this is a great teaching text
This text provides informative and up to date information regarding a broad range of drug related topic.Althought the reading level is not easy, the information is extremely useful for drug counselors.The information presented regarding psychopharmacology provides an excellent base of preparation for the certification test used in many states.I highly recommend this text as well as many of the web site exercises. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drug abuse    2. Drug-Use Education    3. Drugs    4. General    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Nursing - Mental Health    7. Pharmacy    8. Psychopathology - Addiction    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - General    12. Toxicology    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse   

Subjects:  1. Practice Management    2. Psychology    3. Psychopathology - Addiction    4. Psychotherapy - General    5. Addiction & therapy    6. Alcoholism    7. Counselling    8. Drug addiction & substance abuse    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / Addictions   

Reviews (1)

A new paradigm for families
Debra Jay has been on Oprah more than a few times. She's the blond lady with the glasses who is always so direct with addicts and their families. Her new book is a revelation. Basically, her idea is that there should be zero tolerance for untreated addiction in the family. After all, why should the alcoholic have the right to "hit bottom" in their own sweet time, when the family is suffering?
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Subjects:  1. Alcohol Abuse    2. Alcoholism    3. Drug Abuse    4. Drug addiction    5. General    6. Psychopathology - Addiction    7. Religion    8. Religious aspects    9. Self-Help    10. Spiritual    11. Spirituality - General    12. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    13. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    14. Substance abuse    15. Treatment    16. Self-Help / Recovery   

Reviews (32)

Blow
The up your nose, in-your-face life of George Jung, the high-school football star from small-town USA who became the American linchpin of the Columbium cocaine cartel.Jung is talked about his earlier years as a poor student, risk taker from a shaky family but the story comes to age as he takes off for California for a haze of sunbathing, sex, pot, and LSD.Soon enough George is arrested and his operation is on hold temporarily.In prison, Jung befriends a young Carlos Lehder and links up with the Medallion cartel, which gross 35 billion in cocaine sales a year.Money, Learjets, fast cars, and very wild women make this story a big success.George Jung did what he considered the best thing he would be at and took it to a level of unknown power.During the 1980's if you snorted cocaine you had an 85% you bought it from him or people he supplied to.I would recommend this book to people that can feel remorse for what a man did only for the reason he was good at it and enjoyed what he did.George Jung lived the American Dream in his own aspect and I will respect him for what he did and what he regrets.

Sloppy job, but still interesting
Aware that the movie is only loosely based on a true story, I turned to this book for a more factual account of the rise and fall of George Jung.But Jung's own account of the execution he witnessed on the Escobar ranch, to pick an example, differs as much from the one in this book as from the movie!
Literally Being Blown Away
I was handed Blow from a friend and finished it within a busy schedule in less than a nine days.It is the unbelievable story of George Jung's life from being a small town local hero, to becoming deeply seeded in the Colombian drug trade.He managed to make more than 100 million dollars before he was caught for the last time and his extraordinary life leaves you nothing but dumbfounded.
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Subjects:  1. Cocaine industry    2. Criminology    3. General    4. Medellin Cartel    5. Organized crime    6. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    7. True Crime    8. True Crime / Espionage    9. United States    10. Biography: general    11. Drug addiction & substance abuse   

Reviews (7)

The Best I Have Ever Read!
This book is a must for every clinician working in the field.I use the material working with both adult and adolescent clients.The concepts are written in a manner which make it appropriate for any group/individual regardless of age, sex, education level, or ethnic background.The Spirituality exercises are the best I have ever seen.

The Best in the Business
I teach this college course to new counselors. By the time they are through with this treatment manual they really know what they are doing. Everything a counselor needs to know is covered. The book is informative, meticulously researched and fun. It makes students feel good about themselves. It is the simply best text in the business. I highly recommend this book.

The Nuts and Bolts of Mainline Treatment
This book teaches addiction counselors exactly what to do in treatment. It leaves no stone unturned and covers everything a counselor needs to know to offer the best treatment in the world. Besides the book makes you feel good about yourself. All of the major treatment centers in the US had a part in making this book great. At every center this book is within arms reach of every good counselor in the building. All counselors should have this book and use it often. I am a clinical director and I give it to all of my new counselors--they love it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcoholism (Psychiatric Aspects)    2. Counseling of    3. Drug Addiction (Psychiatric Aspects)    4. Dual diagnosis    5. Patients    6. Psychology    7. Psychopathology - Addiction    8. Psychotherapy - Counseling    9. Substance abuse    10. Counselling    11. Drug addiction & substance abuse    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Addictions   

Subjects:  1. Counseling - General    2. Education    3. Psychology    4. Psychopathology - Addiction    5. Psychotherapy - Counseling    6. Substance abuse    7. Drug addiction & substance abuse    8. Education / Counseling   

Subjects:  1. Drug Addiction (Pharmacological Aspects)    2. General    3. Medical    4. Mental Health    5. Neuropsychopharmacology    6. Pain Medicine    7. Pharmacology    8. Psychiatry - Psychopharmacology    9. Psychology    10. Psychopharmacology    11. Psychotropic drugs    12. Sociology    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse    14. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (11)

Eye Opener
This book was a real eye opener for me.I had no idea about some of the topics discussed in most of these chapters.No diet or lifestyle change works over night, and I think that this book helpsexplain that in the simplest way.

OK, for what it is.
This is the same stuff one finds in the women's magazines at the checkouts or maybe this is where they may have got some of their articles.The "why do you eat" quiz was my favourite part of the book & helpful.I have lent this to other friends & they liked it as well.Evidentlty they don't buy women's magazine .All in all a so-so addition to my library.

Maybe for someone with more control!
I didn't find this book very helpful at all, I think it would be more helpful for someone with more control over their eating.For someone who struggles with deeper issues with food however, not very helpful.The suggestions are good, but it's just not that simple for everyone, as much as I tried! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Compulsive eating    2. Eating Disorders - General    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health & Healing - Weight Control    5. Health/Fitness    6. Prevention    7. Psychological aspects    8. Psychology    9. Psychopathology - Eating Disorders    10. Weight Loss    11. Cooking / Dietary    12. General cookery    13. Health & wholefood cookery   

Reviews (2)

A Must-Needed Addition to the FIeld
As all substance abuse counselors know, the clients present not just with one but with mutiple diagnoses and problems. Yet often practitioners are not trained to deal with more than one. For this reason, Dual Diagnosis will be extremely useful to practitioners and to the training of practitioners.This highly readable book is concise, full of first hand clinical illustrations and provides the information on the major mental disorders that students need to have.Don't teach or do assessments until you have read this book!

A Must Read!
Here is the book we in the treatment field have all been waiting for--the facts and guidelines for working with people with coexisting mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Each of the basic psychiatric disorders is described separately; interventions are geared to each disorder according to the client's stage of motivation. Very concise. An amazing feat! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dual diagnosis    2. Mental Illness    3. Psychology    4. Psychopathology - Addiction    5. Psychotherapy - General    6. Clinical psychology    7. Counselling    8. Drug addiction & substance abuse    9. Psychiatry    10. Social Science / Social Work   

Reviews (5)

Great Recovery Companion
This book inspires and encourages continued recovery.Highly recommended for those directly and indirectly involved with recovery.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Dear K, I love the book and I'm so glad you were published in it because otherwise I might not have read it. After 18 years of sobriety, I'm still inspired by an individual's story ofaddiction, the necessary desperation that leads to the first step, and their journey to recovery. Although it's the kind of book I might reread, when I'm finished I'll probably pass it on to someone that I think needs to read it and hope it keeps getting passed along until it's worn out. This book won't go out of style. PAP

Very encouraging book
I think you can't go wrong with this book.The stories are encouraging and uplifting which is what someone in recovery needs, in my opinion.I've even highlighted pages so that I can go back and re-read what really spoke to me.I'd recommend buying this book in heartbeat. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Compulsive behavior    3. Inspirational    4. Inspirational - General    5. Motivational & Inspirational    6. Recovering addicts    7. Recovering alcoholics    8. Recovery    9. Recovery movement    10. Self-Help    11. Spiritual Healing    12. Substance Abuse    13. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    14. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    15. Self-Help / Alcoholism   

Reviews (1)

Must have for comprehensive learning experience!
I teach addiction studies at a local university and find this book a great reference and hope to adopt it for one of my classes. It provides a great overview of the addiction treatment field without being too wordy or lost in theory. This is a well-written book which encourages the learner where many books are discouraging! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Counseling of    2. Drug abuse counseling    3. Drug addicts    4. Neurology - General    5. Patients    6. Psychology    7. Psychopathology - Addiction    8. Psychotherapy - Counseling    9. Substance abuse    10. Counselling    11. Drug addiction & substance abuse    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Addictions   

Reviews (26)

Modern, Factual, Agenda-Free Handbook on Modern Drug Abuse
Some folks reviewing this book don't seem to understand the purpose for which the book was intended:This is a general consumer book with "straight facts" from Ph.D.s in pharmacology and chemistry on "the most used and abused drugs."This isn't intended to be comprehensive.It it certainly isn't about grandstanding as some tool in the "war on drugs."The motto in this book is "Just say Know."
Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, Fully Revised and Updated Second Editio
great condition, recived very fast in mail

Great Drug Reference Book
"Buzzed" is written in an easy to read format, without a lot of unnecessary technical jargon.The specific terminology that has been used has, in many cases, been defined for the reader.The information is well organized and gives a good broad overview of each drug.It is an excellent reference book to keep around. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drug Guides    2. Drugs - Dictionaries    3. Drugs of abuse    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Popular works    7. Reference    8. Social Deviance    9. Alcoholism    10. Drug addiction & substance abuse   

Subjects:  1. Alcoholism    2. Drug abuse    3. Family Psychotherapy    4. General    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Mental Health And Hygiene    7. Neurology - General    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - Marriage & Family    11. Treatment    12. therapy    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse    14. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    15. Psychotherapy    16. Social, group or collective psychology