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Overview
No social problem today causes greater confusion than addiction. Whatever form it takes — alcohol, heroin, cocaine, nicotine, etc. — it tears apart homes and relationships, destroys careers and futures, and leaves loved ones asking: Why couldn't he stop once and for all? Or "get better"? Or control himself?
Despite everything that's been said and written, many people remain deeply confounded about these problems. The addiction-treatment field itself is in a state of civil war because there is no consensus on what addiction is, much less what to do about it.
Based on years of hard-won experience by a preeminent specialist in addictive behavior, Thinking Simply About Addiction explains the core truth of addiction: It is not a neurosis, a physical malady, a behavioral choice, or, in the narrowest sense, a moral failure. It is an automatism — an involuntary, non-stoppable behavior that once triggered leaves the addict powerless. It is a human problem and a part of human nature. As such, it is something that we all experience.
In four to-the-point chapters, Thinking Simply About Addiction rises above the noise level and provides real-world help and new ways of thinking for addicts and those who care for them. Its insights are so profoundly clear and sensible that many readers will be able to say: Finally, someone gets it.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781585426881 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 03/05/2009 |
| Edition description: | Original |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.46(w) x 8.14(h) x 0.53(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Chapter One - IS ADDICTION A DISEASE?
Chapter Two - WHY ME?
Chapter Three - DOES TREATMENT “WORK” ?
Chapter Four - IS A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING NECESSARY FOR RECOVERY?
References
Index
About the Author
JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN
Published by the Penguin Group
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sandor, Richard S.
eISBN : 978-1-101-02226-9
1. Drug addiction—Treatment. 2. Alcoholism—Treatment. I. Title.
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with a physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
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Excerpted from "Thinking Simply About Addiction"
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Copyright © 2009 Richard Sandor.
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Table of Contents
Preface vii
Chapter One Is Addiction A Disease? 1
Introduction. The Value of Understanding. A Little Story About Understanding. Powerlessness: The Essential Experience of Addiction. The Control Conundrum. Automaticity: Rethinking the Disease Concept of Addiction. Relapse. Progression. Summing Up.
Chapter Two Why Me? 37
Resistance and Susceptibility. Risk Factors for Developing an Addiction. Biological Factors. Sociological Factors. Psychological Factors. The Spectrum of Addiction. Summing Up.
Chapter Three Does Treatment "Work"? 71
The Problem of Diagnosis. What Is Treatment? The Problem of Measuring Treatment Outcome. Recovery from Addiction. Beyond Abstinence: The Goal of Treatment. The Dimensions of Treatment: Biological. The Dimensions of Treatment: Emotional. The Dimensions of Treatment: Cognitive. The Dimensions of Treatment: Spiritual. Why Can't Medical Science "Cure" Addiction? Summing Up.
Chapter Four Is A Spiritual Awakening Necessary For Recovery? 133
Some Definitions: Meaning. Spiritual. Recovery. Addiction: A New Metaphor for Human Suffering. Why a New Metaphor? Thinking About a Higher Power. Are Science and Spirituality Compatible? "As Above, So Below." Something from Nothing: Mind, Brain, and a Higher Dimension. Evidence of a Higher Dimension: The Present Moment.
References 177
Index 183
About the Author 191