Reviews (1)

interesting and informative also an easy read
As a neophyte teacher in the field, I have been scouring bookstores and libraries for sources of information to update myself and to present to students. I have found this book as exiting to read as any novel and chalk full of understandable information. Latest research, logical and clear annalogies. Quickly became my #1 favorite resourc ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drug abuse    2. Physiological aspects    3. Psychiatry - General    4. Psychology    5. Psychopathology - Addiction    6. Social Science    7. Social aspects    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - General    10. Toxicology    11. Addiction & therapy    12. Drug addiction & substance abuse    13. Medicine | Drug & Alcohol    14. Psychology & Psychiatry / Addictions   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (63)

Drug War: The History and Politics of Failure
Author Mike Gray tackles the failed drug war in this book and effectively shows how the present war has many similarities to alcohol prohibition in early part of the twentieth century. Gray begins his discussion of the subject of drugs by taking the reader back to 1925, in the city of Chicago, during the height of the nightmare of prohibition. Gangs ruled the streets. The air was filled with the smell of cheap booze and the sound of gunfire. Police were defenseless to the total chaos going on all around them. They simply could not stop the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. There was too much money to be made by selling this "forbidden fruit". There was no possible way that this "war" on alcohol could ever be won.
An Excellent Comprehensive History -Not to Mention Futility of-The War On Drugs
This is the 1 book I've come across so far that gives a good, linear history of America's War on Drugs.It begins by comparing mid-90s Chicago with the Windy City of 1925; and all the attendent corruption, violence and hypocricy that comes along with prohibition.It then proceeds to pre-1914 (the year of the Harrison Tax Act) America, and discusses drug uses, patterns of abuse and addiction rates and profiles of the era of legalized drug use, and 1 prohibitionist's lament that "This Constitution thing keeps getting in the way."The thrust of the chapter is that drug abuse and addiction were rare and rarely harmful prior to their being made illegal.
History speaks for itself........we lost this war
Great Book
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Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Drug Abuse    3. Drug Crimes    4. Drug control    5. Drug traffic    6. History    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - General    10. United States    11. Alcoholism    12. Current Events / General    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse   

Reviews (2)

note from J. Franzen, one of the blurbists above
In the actual text, the word "shocking" was in scare quotes and meant exactly the opposite of what it seems to mean here.

For serious students of the tobacco industry
This is worth a selective read if are a serious student of the cigaretteindustry and how it knew early about nicotine's additive and harmfuleffects.It provides a good insight into the thinking and industry-wideprocesses.Since it quotes extensively from actual corporate memos (thatwere given to the Univ of California by an unknown donor) it can be dryreading at times.The authors have organized the raw material well. Whilethis is an important book, and revealing of a rich and powerful industry,it is more useful as a reference.A more readable book on the tobaccoindustry is Ashes to Ashes by Richard Kluger. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Health Care Issues    3. Industries - General    4. Manufacturing Industries (Economic Aspects)    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy - General    8. Smoking And Health    9. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Smoking    10. Alcoholism    11. Drug addiction & substance abuse    12. Freedom of information & freedom of speech    13. Political Science / General    14. Public health & preventive medicine    15. Tobacco industry    16. USA   

Reviews (2)

Must Read for All Women
As a nutritionist and eating disorders specialist, I highly recommend this book.It is composed of group of individual healing stories by women who make up the well known experts on eating disorders revealing their ownexperiences.It is not just a "how to" book, but a deeplypersonal journey into the lives of these women and how they overcame theirown personal struggle with the weight and eating issues that haunt so manywomen today.It puts the issues of food and eating where they belonginstead of on the pedestal designed by American Culture.Reading this bookshould be a tremendously healing experience for all women, not just thosewho struggle with eating issues.We are all in this together, and the morewho understand, the more we will be able to help our fellow sisters intheir struggle to have a normal relationship with food and their bodies! Itis high time all of us stopped basing our self worth on our body size andour ability to diet.We need to start accepting our worth recognizing thatwe don't all have the same genetic potential, and we need to try to be thehealthiest that we can be, rather than trying to imitate someone else'sidea of who or what we should be.That is what this book is about. A greatfirst step on a worthwhile journey.

A great perspective on this topic...
This is a great book to read, quite different from the many other titles out there that primarily focus on methods to free one's obsessions with food, weight and the disorder in general. As the book is staged at a dinnerparty, it consists of remarks and insights from those who have battledthese issues firsthand - and is refreshing to the reader in that they haveplenty of company in their struggle. I finished the book with a refreshingfeeling of freedom, having identified with the personalities within thebook and with a fresh outlook on my daily battle. A great read for thosealready on the road to recovery. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Eating Disorders    4. Eating Disorders - General    5. General    6. Mental health    7. Patients    8. Psychology    9. Psychopathology - Eating Disorders    10. United States    11. Women    12. Fitness & diet    13. Women's health   

Reviews (2)

Cold realities from a warm heart
In a hundred pages Scaef does something truly remarkable.She confronts the self-serving and dangerous side of co-dependency yet maintains a nonjudgmental perspective.Many, many books, of course, discuss the dangers co-dependents present to themselves.This one goes beyond to look at the less comfortable topics of co-dependents' tendency toward manipulation, promotion of disease in others, martyrdom, dishonesty, and pathological self-centeredness.As a professional who grew up in a seriously alcoholic home, I wish that I had read this book years ago to see the pay-off I was getting from organizing my life around the pretense that I was other people's answers.But despite the harsh realities Schaef points out (and simply and compellingly demonstrates), I was left with a sense that I was not being shamed or judged and that I had the freedom to do better.This book takes more character to digest than most books on the subject, and I suspect that its writing took manifestly more character than one assisting people to continue seeing themselves as victims.I recommend it without qualification.

Concise introduction to the problem of co-dependence
Schaef has written many books on the subject of addictive behavior, and I've read most of them.This one puts forth her basic philosophy (which is that dysfunctional, addictive behaviors are part & parcel of ourculture) in a slender volume that's easy to pick up & reread. Especially interesting is her theory that co-dependence is encouraged inour schools and churches.She presents her case with lots of examples, andwith the kind of passion it would be easy for the unconvinced to laugh at,but I personally think she speaks a truth that many people might finduncomfortable to face. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcoholism    2. Codependency    3. Drug abuse    4. General    5. Human relations    6. Neurology - General    7. Psychological aspects    8. Recovery    9. Self-Help    10. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General    11. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    12. Drug addiction & substance abuse    13. Family & relationships    14. Popular psychology    15. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    16. Women's studies   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Compulsive behavior    2. Medical    3. Neurology - General    4. Psychiatry - General    5. Psychology    6. Psychopathology - Compulsive Behavior    7. Substance abuse    8. Substance-Related Disorders    9. Drug addiction & substance abuse    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Compulsive Behavior   

Reviews (9)

Articulate and Insightful
Here, as in his FAT LAND, Critser performs a public service in the best possible format. Major issues like the growth of the drug culture are usually presented with more technical detail than the non-specialist can stand or with lurid alarmism. Here Critser condenses huge amounts of data and first hand research in a prose that is both lucid and interesting. In a country where every other ad is for a drug, each citizen should read this exciting volume.

The Rx syndrome:
GenerationRx is extremely informative and a fine introduction to the manner in which prescription drugs have moved to the fore through media advertising. Chapters seem endless but persistence is well worth the effort. The second half of the book becomes increasingly practical. The concluding advice and the listed web sites are well worth the investment.

Much Better Books Are Available!
Generation Rx" begins by musing over an article in the House and Home section of the New York Times reporting the rise in popularity of "triple-wide" medicine cabinets - taller, wider, and deeper.Cause of this phenomena - the average number of prescriptions/person was 7/year in '93, 11 in '00, and 12 in '04 - despite enormous uncertainty about their benefits and safety.(There are an estimated 106,000 deaths/year from serious adverse drug reactions from just those properly diagnosed and taken.Drug-induced liver disease is the mostcommon cause of acute liver failure - more than viral hepatitis.)
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Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Drug utilization    3. Drugs    4. Drugs And Health    5. Ethics    6. Health Care Issues    7. Industries - General    8. Medical    9. Medical / Nursing    10. Pharmaceutical industry    11. Pharmacology    12. Public Health    13. Social aspects    14. United States    15. Medical / Public Health   

Reviews (4)

Thank you Dr. Maine!
This book makes sense to me.Focusing on a systems approach has brought the clairity and peace of mind I have needed. This book does not place blame on fathers but forces us to look at our parental figures as part of a bigger picture.I honestly feel this is one of the best books I have ever read.Relatives and friends of mine are eager to read read this book. Thank you Dr. Maine!

Very Freeing
There are so many self help books about the father wound.Most of them leave me intellectually stimulated but emotionally empty. Elementary
If you know nothing about eating disorders...If you're early in your teens or 20s and just waking up to the profound realization that the relationships you had with your parents might have influenced how you are in the world, you will probably get a lot out of this book as a starting place.If you're like me and you've read Geneen Roth, Susie Orbach, explored these issues in therapy, I doubt you'll be satisfied.I bought the book intrigued by the title expecting to get a deeper perspective about food and fathers.Nothing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eating Disorders    2. Eating Disorders - General    3. Eating disorders in adolescenc    4. Eating disorders in adolescence    5. Fathers and daughters    6. Mental health    7. Paternal deprivation    8. Psychology    9. Psychopathology - Eating Disorders    10. Teenage girls    11. Coping with eating disorders   

Reviews (8)

Excellent, readable review of the drug world
This is among the most readable reference books written.The history and relationships of abusable drugs are covered.Then, commonly abused drugs receive individual attention.The information seems accurate and factual, and the author is a University-based M.D.
Teachers, Take Note!
I thought I already knew quite a bit about illegal drugs, but this book is CHOCK-FULL of information. What stands out in my memory is the woodcut of the medieval "witch" applying LSD to her vaginal mucous membrane while riding a broomstick - wooow!
A decent overview
It was a very resouceful book, very realistic and culturally aware book.This educated author is not your average Ph. D. author with typical and surface deep information.He's a medical doctor as well, and his knowledge was put to good use in this informative book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drug Addiction (Pharmacological Aspects)    2. Drug Guides    3. Drugs - Adverse Effects    4. Drugs of abuse    5. General    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health/Fitness    9. Medical / Nursing    10. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    11. Substance abuse    12. Treatment    13. United States    14. Reference / Personal & Practical Guides   

Reviews (3)

Listen to the Old Fox
In this book, Al Ellis tells you everything you need to achieve long-term freedom from emotional upset.He explains why certain modes of therapy are ineffective and counter-productive.Even if they do no harm, they do not deliver the help you need, as opposed to more efficacious modes of therapy, such as REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) and Cognitive Therapy.He distinguishes between merely palliative techniques, like Yoga and Meditation, which help you feel better, but do not lead to lasting improvement, and those which help you get better and stay better. Principles of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
In this book, Ellis shows the interested reader how Rational Emotive Therapy works, what the underlying philosphy is, and - most importantly - what you can do to get yourself out of emotional difficulties. A recommended supplement to a professional care
Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better: Profound Self-Help Therapy For Your Emotions is a psychological self-help book with a wealth of advice on how to improve one's physical health by harnessing the power of one's emotional state. Chapters discuss such practical methods for improving one's attitude and therefore health such as thinking, philosophizing, emoting, and engaging in positive activities. A highly recommended addition to any personal self-help reading list, Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better is not a substitute for seeing a therapist or counselor, but rather a recommended supplement to a professional care in order to help the reader respond more effectively to treatment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mood Disorders    2. Personal Growth - Happiness    3. Psychology    4. Self-Help    5. Self-help techniques    6. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    7. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    8. Popular psychology   

Reviews (4)

A book that delivers on its promise.
Do you crave certain foods?Or maybe you find yourself eating everything in sight when things are going bad for you?Or do you fall off your diet because you are so hungry?Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., offers solutions to theseand other food-related problems in Constant Craving:What Your FoodCravings Mean And How To Overcome Them.Based on her research, whichincluded scientific studies, ancient Chinese medicine, and interviews withher clients, Dr. Virtue says that food cravings are related to ouremotions.She defines a food craving as an "obsessive desire for aspecific type of food."This is different than a preference, and itoften leads people to eat in very unhealthy ways. "Food cravings oftenstem from basic unmet needs for fun, excitement, or love," accordingto Dr. Virtue.She explains how each food craving can be traced to aspecific emotional need, often allowing people to heal themselves.Forexample, people who crave nuts haven't met their needs for fun and pleasurein their lives.She devotes a chapter to each kind of craving,explaining how the constituents of each kind of food work in the body tocreate an illusion of feeling better.For example, nuts contain pyrazine,"which triggers the pleasure center of the brain."She thenoffers suggestions as to how the emotional needs can be satisfied in waysother than eating, and finishes each chapter with affirmations. Specific cravings discussed include:chocolate, dairy products, saltysnack foods, spicy foods, liquids, breads, rice, pasta, nuts and nutbutters, cookies, cakes, pies, candy, and high-fat foods.Dr. Virtueemphasizes that meeting the underlying needs as the best way to overcomefood cravings. She says that the appetite must be healed, not killed. Several easy quizzes provide guidance as to what kind of eater you are,such as "binge eater" or "stress eater."She alsoexplains how to keep from overeating at holidays and restaurants.Shepromises that the information in Constant Cravings "will allow you toconduct your own food-craving interpretations.I'll teach you the meaningbehind each type of food, so you can analyze--and reduce--your ownappetite."Readers will find that she keeps that promise. Constant Craving : What Your Food Cravings Mean and How to O
What I especially liked about this book, is that it is not just another diet book.She states simply, eat less and excercise more and you will lose weight.What she does talk about is what type of eater are you and then analyzes what that means and then follows that up with a 5 Steps toReduce Fattening Feelings, which I think is good, and which I am going tostart using today!

not very helpful
This book was disappointing.There are better options on the same topic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Compulsive eating    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Eating Disorders - General    4. Food preferences    5. General    6. Popular works    7. Psychopathology - Eating Disorders    8. Reducing    9. Weight loss    10. Diets & dieting   

Reviews (3)

Understanding Me
Having recently celebrated my 1 year anniversary in AA, this book really helped me understand where I am.There just aren't many people with my sobriety time in the fellowships I attend.They seem to have more or less time, so it has been difficult for me to understand why I feel the way I do.Those that came into AA when I did all seem to be gone and anybody with about my sobriety has been there before.I have a great sponsor, a solid Big Book Program, great fellowship and a constantly improving "life", but why do I feel different than I did a few months ago?Not bad, not great, but just good.
If you're in your second your, look forward to relate...
I received this book after my first year of sobriety.It was incredibly useful to understand the transitions that I went through after just focusing on being clean & sober.I highly recommend to anyone who starts becoming more aware of feelings and life circumstances that we had years of not dealing with.

Helped to remind me that I'm not alone
I bought this book after I celebrated my first abstinence Bday and didn't read it for another 6 months.I was so comforted by the stories of recovering folk in their 2nd year of sobriety, all who were experiencing difficulties in recovery that I could relate to.One of the most important things this book helped me to see is that it's okay to struggle.Now that I have 21 months of sobriety, it's not all about how do I take a shower or cook for myself; rather, I'm learning how to be a part of the world.This book was a welcome reminder that the issues I struggle with are akin to those that many 2nd-year recoverers struggle with. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcoholics    2. Case studies    3. Recovery    4. Rehabilitation    5. Self-Help    6. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    7. United States    8. Alcoholism    9. Coping with drug & alcohol abuse    10. Counselling    11. Drug addiction & substance abuse    12. Self-Help / Substance Abuse   

Reviews (12)

The story of a beautiful and talented young woman who suffers, and eventually dies from, an eating disorder
"Andrea's Voice Silenced By Bulimia: Her Story and Her Mother's Journey Through Grief Toward Understanding" is a final legacy organized and co-written by both Andrea's mother, Doris Smeltzer, and Andrea herself in the form of her journals and papers. This compelling account tells the story of a beautiful and talented young woman who suffers, and eventually dies from, an eating disorder. "Andrea's Voice" represents a great lesson woven from painful experience. Doris Smeltzer is co-founder of the eating disorder prevention nonprofit organization, Andrea's Voice Foundation. Through the finely crafted voices and carefully chosen writings in "Andrea's Voice," her mother presents both the deep isolationism of the disordered eater, her daughter, and the close bond that still enriches her life today, when her daughter's living voice is silenced. "Andrea's Voice" is both a deeply compassionate, inspirational tribute to the life of Andrea, and a search for clues and tools to stem the outcome in others with disordered eating. "Andrea's Voice" is both a clinical and a very human look at the relationship between Andrea and her mother, shared to help others afflicted with eating disorders -- or have loved ones who are faced with such potentially dangerous health issues.
An Important Book For Parents, Especially Mothers
I highly recommend this book to parents of young women with eating disorders.Andrea's Voice is a deeply personal and eloquently told account of a mother's quest to bring her daughter through an eating disorder.This book offers something more than publications written by the "experts"--the books that tell parents what the best treatment is--it describes what it's actually like to confront an eating disorder, and how it affects a family.This is the real thing.

Shows long-term effect of bulimia
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (6/06)
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Bulimia    5. Eating Disorders - General    6. Family relationships    7. General    8. Patients    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Self-Help    11. United States    12. Biography: general    13. Eating disorders & therapy    14. Self-Help / Eating Disorders   

Reviews (23)

Important voice to be heard
Slim to none is the diary of an anorexia patient, Jennifer Hendricks. This is a difficult and frustrating read. Jenny is totally confused through must of the book, due, not only by her severe eating disorder, but also through all the crazy "therapies" to try to heal her. It is an important story to be told to see just how misunderstood the disease was, even by doctors. Everyone had a different idea on how to heal Jenny, and most of them exceeding is only making her worse. The worst shame of it all is that Jenny tried so hard for so long and spent most of those years that she writes about, in one hospital or another. The last years of her life are revolved around her troubled thoughts and lost hopes of a normal life. I think this book is important for all doctors and families of people struggling with eating disorders. Also, anyone who is studying about eating disorders. As far as the story part of the book goes, it is repetitious, especially in the beginning, but keep reading, it is worth it in the end.

Like reading my own diaries from the past
I am a recovering anorexic. I was hospitalized numerous times before something inside of my mine just snapped and I was ready to let go. Really ready. And I am one of the very few lucky ones.
If I could give it less than one star I would
I'm sorry, but there is nooooooooooooo way this book is better than Wasted.As a memoir junkie, I read pretty much everything that comes out, and as an ED sufferer Iof course read every ED memoir.I could barely even make it through this one; the only reason I did is that I paid for it in hardcover.It is ridiculously trite, annoying, and the dialogue is almost laughably bad. It's just absurd; I rolled my eyes so much I felt like I could twirl pasties with them.
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Subjects:  1. Anorexia nervosa    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Diaries    5. Eating Disorders - Anorexia Nervosa    6. Hendricks, Jennifer    7. Mental health    8. Patients    9. Psychology    10. Psychoneuroses    11. Psychopathology - General    12. Specific Groups - General    13. United States    14. Women    15. Biography: general    16. Eating disorders & therapy    17. Self-Help / Eating Disorders   

Reviews (1)

The most useful text I've found
There's an awful lot of books out there purporting to be written by "the experts" regarding alcoholism and drug addiciton. Very few of them provide any useful insights into how the families of those suffering from Chemical Dependency can find the help they so badly need. In this book Stephanie Brown and her colleagues put their many years of research and experience together in a format that is easily understood and more perhaps more importantly that can be put into practice. She demystifies and gives language to concepts and ideas that can be baffling and overwhelming to families in crisis. The stages of recovery from active use through early recovery and the trauma that involves, moving through to ongoing recovery issues, are explained clearly, highlighting how the family "system" is affected and tools the family can use to navigate each stage.
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Subjects:  1. Alcoholics    2. Family relationships    3. Psychological aspects    4. Psychology    5. Psychopathology - Addiction    6. Recovering alcoholics    7. Rehabilitation    8. Self-Help    9. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    10. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    11. Temperance    12. Family welfare    13. Popular psychology    14. Safety in the home   

Reviews (3)

Easy to read and fascinating
This book is wonderful. It gives me a new way to understand my clients struggling with abstinence from using substances. I love the case examples.

A More Humane Approach
Those of us who struggle to control our own alcohol or drug use, or who live with someone who is trying to cut down or quit, may greet the harm reduction approach, persuasively presented by Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, as good news indeed. A practicing psychotherapist, Tatarsky is concerned with meeting clients "where they live": In the context of drug and alcohol abuse, this entails exploring the meanings these substances hold for the individual user and grounding the therapy in the process of self-discovery---rather than requiring abstinence from the outset, which is the traditional "one-size-fits-all" approach to counseling. Move over AA, there's a new kid on the block
Andrew Tatarsky and his contributors have brought the honesty, the sympathy, and the efficacy of harm reduction into the treatment of substance users, and it's about time!Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcoholism    2. Drug abuse    3. Harm reduction    4. Psychology    5. Psychopathology - Addiction    6. Psychotherapy - General    7. Treatment    8. Addiction & therapy    9. Drug addiction & substance abuse    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Addictions   

Reviews (5)

A Truly Grateful Parent
Dr. Streissguth's Book is the best explanation of the effects of alcohol on the unborn child, that I have ever found.For years, I did not know what was wrong with the beautiful little girl that my husband and I adopted.Twenty-seven doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, school counsellors, guidance counsellors, religious leaders, police or addictions counsellors over the past 16 years never once, suggested that FAS/E was the problem.For every person in those positions dealing with troubled children, "Fetal Alchohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Coommunities" should be compulsory reading! The first book to read on FAS
Written by one of the leading behavioral experts in the field.A must for anyone with a problem child, in medicine or psychology, social or justice work...it is a recognized primer for the topic of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Excellent FAS resource
Dr. Streissguth is one of the pioneers in the identification and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the entire spectrum of congenital damage arising from in-utero exposure to alcohol.25 years after the identification of this common and devastating disability, most efforts in the academic community still focus on definition and diagnosis, with relatively little attention paid to treatment.Dr. Streissguth stands atop the heap in extending her basic science research into the actual lives of affected individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live.I consider her the foremost authority in the academic community on exploring pragmatic options for helping affected individuals, families, and community.Read more

Subjects:  1. Diet / Health / Fitness    2. Diseases    3. Diseases - General    4. Fetal alcohol syndrome    5. Medical    6. Perinatology & Neonatology    7. Pregnancy & Childbirth    8. Substance Abuse In Pregnancy    9. Drug addiction & substance abuse    10. Materno-fetal medicine    11. Neonatal medicine   

Reviews (1)

A must read!
Police departments in many regions across the United States say methamphetamine now represents 70-80% of their drug cases. Why? Meth is a cheap buzz and can be homemade with over-the-counter chemicals and cold remedies. It's also very quick to addict the user.
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Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Methamphetamine abuse    3. Recovery    4. Self-Help    5. Sociology    6. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    7. Self-Help / Drug Dependence   

Subjects:  1. Government policy    2. Health & Fitness    3. Health Care Issues    4. Health/Fitness    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Physiological effect    7. Prevention    8. Public Health    9. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Smoking    10. Tobacco    11. Tobacco habit    12. Tobacco use    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse    14. Health systems & services    15. International economics    16. Medical / Public Health    17. Medicine | Public Health    18. Public health & preventive medicine   

Reviews (2)

A New Approach
In contrast to the now popular emphasis on addictive drugs "hijacking" the brain reward centers and producing pleasure, Dr. Khantzian life work has pursued an alternative route in explaining why addictive drugs can become so compelling in an individual's life. His emphasis has mainly and consistently been on the human psychological vulnerabilities involved in addictive suffering. Based on three decades of clinical work with patients, as well as numerous clinical investigative studies, Dr.Khantzian has persuasively instructed us that suffering and problems with selfregulation are at the root of addictive disorders. His work has repeatedly underscored that individuals who become dependent on addictive substances (including alcohol and nicotine) do so not because they seek pleasure or self-destruction (some have considered addictions as "suicide on the installment plan"), but more because they use alcohol and other addictive drugs as an attempt to self-medicate their suffering and to regulate their lives. Although in the long run such attempts cause great disruption in peoples' lives, in the short run individuals have the powerful discovery that each class of drugs have appeal because they relieve a range of painful feelings and help to cope with powerful emotions and behaviors that for them are otherwise overwhelming and unmanageable. Dr.Khantzian has been described as the "father of the self-medication hypothesis of addictive disorders," and has also written extensively on "self-care" deficits associated with the addictions, the importance and utility of modified group techniques and self-help groups in recovery and effective treatments. Dr. Khantzian writes persuasively, evocatively, and compassionately about the human vulnerabilities involved in addictive disorders. Dr. Alan Stone, Professor of Law and Psychiatry at Harvard University, has characterized Dr. Khantzian as a "master � clinician exploring the internal world of the addicted person � convincingly demonstrating his self-medication hypothesis," and novelist Dr. Michael Palmer has said that Dr. Khantzian's book, Treating Addiction as a Human Process, is a "highly intelligent volume that can be read with pleasure and awe from beginning to end. It is the cornerstone on which the next generation of knowledge in addiction medicine will be built." Dr. Khantzian has been acknowledged as a pioneering clinician in understanding the psychological and psychiatric pain associated with substance use disorders, and his focus on the self-medicating function of abused substances, and the refinement of his work stressing addict's ego deficits of selfregulation and self-care have become the standard in the field of addiction treatment. A New Approach
In contrast to the now popular emphasis on addictive drugs "hijacking" the bra