What do we mean when we talk about addiction? This anthology of articles is designed to bring multiple perspectives to bear on that question, a pursuit made possible by the recent explosion of research on the scientific underpinnings of drug and alcohol addiction. In this collection of posts from the well-respected science blog, Addiction Inbox, you'll meet some of the researchers, and some of the new research. You'll learn about the new synthetic stimulant drugs now flooding American grey markets. And you'll hear about some of the best recent books on addiction and recovery. The articles cover health studies about drugs, addiction and alcoholism, including the most recent scientific and medical findings-plus interviews and book reviews. The Research section includes posts on a wide-ranging and controversial group of subjects, all related by an approach that highlights the underlying science and evidence-based medicine pertinent to the subject. Is shoplifting the opiate of the masses? Does menthol really matter? Can ketamine and other party drugs cause permanent bladder damage? For answers, the author looks to neuroscientists and addiction researchers, an approach that led to his earlier book, The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction.

Contrary to popular belief, addiction isn't a conscious choice. It's a chronic illness, like diabetes or asthma, that responds to treatment and deserves compassion. And yet, too many people expect their loved ones to simply recover on their own without interventions. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and decades of expertise, Dr. Nzinga Harrison reveals the factors that predict one's risk for addiction: biology and heritability, childhood experience, physical environment, injuries and health conditions, discrimination, and cultural influence. With revelatory anecdotes and sobering data, Un-Addiction guides readers to unlearn what they think they know about substance use, undo stigma surrounding addiction, and uncover critical conversations that could end the epidemic.

Only the very rare among us are completely unscathed by the effects of addiction - our own, that of a family member, friend, or coworker. Even the addictions of strangers - from the drunk driver or drug addict, to gambling, food, spending, or violence-addicted people - may subject us to dangers, threaten our well-being, and drain money from our pockets. Recent national estimates in just the US show that substance abuse and addiction alone cost taxpayers a total of nearly $500 billion a year. In these volumes, experts from around the world present the newest issues, research, and insights into addictions of all kinds. Led by Angela Browne-Miller, Director of the Metaxis Compulsive and Habitual Behaviors Institute in California, this team of contributors includes scholars and practitioners from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Thailand, Africa, and Russia. Topics range from drug addiction among male, female, teen, and aging populations, and among White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, Native American, and other groups, using liquor, cocaine, methamphetamine, khat, and/or other lesser known drugs, to behavioral addictions including online gaming, excessive buying, and eating disorders. Chapters also address issues including addiction as a public health problem and the politics of drug treatment policies. Treatment methods for addictions, from electrotherapy to holistic approaches are addressed, as are spiritual, psychological, and cross-cultural issues involved. The experts behind these chapters include those from the University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Purdue University, to McGill University, Nottingham Trent University, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

5 Stars! from Doody's Book Reviews! (of the 13th Edition) "This edition continues to raise the bar for books on drug use and abuse. The presentation of the material is straightforward and comprehensive, but not off putting or complicated." As a long-standing, reliable resource Drugs & Society, Fourteenth Edition continues to captivate and inform students by taking a multidisciplinary approach to the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of average individuals. The authors have integrated their expertise in the fields of drug abuse, pharmacology, and sociology with their extensive experiences in research, treatment, drug policy making, and drug policy implementation to create an edition that speaks directly to students on the medical, emotional, and social damage drug use can cause.

“Irresistible is a fascinating and much needed exploration of one of the most troubling phenomena of modern times.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of New York Times bestsellers David and Goliath and Outliers “One of the most mesmerizing and important books I’ve read in quite some time. Alter brilliantly illuminates the new obsessions that are controlling our lives and offers the tools we need to rescue our businesses, our families, and our sanity.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take Welcome to the age of behavioral addiction—an age in which half of the American population is addicted to at least one behavior. We obsess over our emails, Instagram likes, and Facebook feeds; we binge on TV episodes and YouTube videos; we work longer hours each year; and we spend an average of three hours each day using our smartphones. Half of us would rather suffer a broken bone than a broken phone, and Millennial kids spend so much time in front of screens that they struggle to interact with real, live humans. In this revolutionary book, Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, tracks the rise of behavioral addiction, and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. Though these miraculous products melt the miles that separate people across the globe, their extraordinary and sometimes damaging magnetism is no accident. The companies that design these products tweak them over time until they become almost impossible to resist. By reverse engineering behavioral addiction, Alter explains how we can harness addictive products for the good—to improve how we communicate with each other, spend and save our money, and set boundaries between work and play—and how we can mitigate their most damaging effects on our well-being, and the health and happiness of our children. Adam Alter's previous book, Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave is available in paperback from Penguin.

Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the "disease model" of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery. The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief-in a world that's not cooperating. As a result, most treatment based on the disease model fails. Lewis shows how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery. This is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally.

Updated to keep pace with the latest data and statistics, Drugs and Society, Twelfth Edition, contains the most current information available concerning drug use and abuse. Written in an objective and user-friendly manner, this best-selling text continues to captivate students by taking a multidisciplinary approach to the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of average individuals. A new modern design and robust ancillary package help students understand and retain key learning objectives from each chapter and prepare for class. Contact Your Account Specialist About Our Money Saving Package Options! • Package A: Contains print text plus FREE print Student Study Guide (ISBN: 978-1-284-05478-1) • Package B: Contains print text plus FREE eBook Access Code (ISBN: 978-1-284-05821-5) • Package C: Contains print text plus FREE Navigate Access Code (ISBN: 978-1-284-05586-3)