Description
Book SynopsisThe book takes a comprehensive, no-holds-barred look at the easy path to drug addiction and the tough road to recovery. This book can help people confront addiction in their own lives and in their families by exploring the biological roots of addiction and the way addicts are allowed to deny their addiction.
Trade Review The Selfish Brain is written with candor and passion in a direct, logical style that is very useful for readers without a medical background. . . . This book is recommended to mental health professionals as well as non-professionals who are looking for a clear and practical overview of substance-related disorders as expressed in our society. The volume contains a great deal of practical information of value to all, and leads one to reflect on what family and public measures could be of benefit in combating this common, powerful, and cunning mental and physical health disorder.
* Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic *
This book is also fascinating reading in relation to updating the reader about the remarkable neuroscientific advances that have been made in understanding addiction in the last 25 years. . . . I believe it is a very valuable book not only for professionals but for any individuals trying to understand the complex nature of substance abuse as our country's number one public health problem.
* The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease *
Dr. DuPont has written this volume for everyone who is not already knowledgeable about the concepts and information that he so clearly illuminates. He obviously recognizes that it is too thorough and detailed for many readers, so, in the preface, he tell us how to get the most of the good from it by reading through it selectively.
* American Journal of Psychiatry *
This book is essential reading for those wishing to find out about the nature and philosophy of addiction, and issues concerning addiction from a particularly American point of view by an author pre-eminent in his field—White House 'drug czar' to President Ford and also first Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. . . . The book must be read and can only enhance and enrich one's approach to the complex and diverse problem of addiction. It should be read by everyone including addicts and their families.
* Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry *
This is a remarkable book in its scope, conviction, and perspective. . .Dupont provides a storehouse of useful and persuasive data, personal reflections, and his extensive clinical experience to support his position. . . . He is forceful in his point of view, which is a strength of this book. It could be powerfully persuasive and helpful for those who need and can accept such a rigid approach.
* JAMA *
The author is an expert in prevention and treatment of drug addiction, and he clearly cares passionately about drug abuse and its victims. This book will benefit all who are interested in ideas about the causes and cures of drug addiction.
* Choice *
This is a truly remarkable book—remarkable in its scope, its wisdom, and its clarity. Dr. DuPont has drawn upon his lifetime career experience as a psychiatrist specializing in drug abuse and as a former government official (first Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse) to produce this most interesting account. . . . What has been learned from basic research on the biologic basis of drug-seeking behavior is simplified for the nonscientist reader to understand. The properties of the several families of addictive drugs are explained fully and correctly. And the sections on drug policy and the societal dangers of a culture that tolerates drug use are exemplary in this reviewer's opinion. Especially persuasive are the arguments against any form of drug legalization.
-- Avram Goldstein, M.D. * Addiction *
Table of ContentsForeword by Betty Ford. Thinking About Addiction. Addiction to alcohol and other drugs. A world history of drug abuse. The contemporary scene. The Brain and Addiction. The brain: target organ of addiction. Gateway drugs: alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. Heroin and other drugs of abuse. Overcoming Addiction. The addict's career. Codependence: the mirror of addiction. Preventing addiction. Intervention and treatment. 12-step programs: a modern miracle. Tough policy choices to prevent addiction. The future of addiction. A personal footnote. Drug facts. Bibliotherapy. Appendix 1: 12-step fellowship and other mutual-aid group descriptions. Appendix 2: Resources. Index.
