"Harvey B. Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth have written a tour de force. Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs: A Positive Approach to Mood Alteration . . . is a beautifully written and organized book . . . a thrill ride through the most innovative and insightful perspectives that science and clinical experience have to offer . . . hip and artistic, reflecting a deep understanding of addiction . . . a major contribution to the field; it is must reading." - Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS Editor, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School Director, Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance "Reading this book is in itself and ecstatic experience! . . . a fascinating journey that explores the benefits and risks of pleasure and the universal desire to feel good . . . It's quite a trip." - G. Alan Marlatt, PhD, University of Washington People from all walks of life often lose themselves in pursuing counterfeit pleasures--cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, thrill seeking, sex, food, gambling, and on-line fantasies to name just a few. How does the pursuit of pleasure result in compulsion and loss of control? Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs addresses this fundamental question and then explores positive ways to achieve lasting happiness and fulfillment. Readers will gain important insight on how to improve their own quality of life and will learn how to offer support to clients, students, family, and friends whose lives may be compromised by hedonic dependencies. Students of addictive behaviors and anyone interested in discovering healthy means to satisfy the drive to alter consciousness will find this book compelling. Reviews of previous work: "The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. . . . These authors know their stuff and make a compelling case." - The Los Angeles Times "The authors provide a valuable service by placing into perspective a large array of behaviors that could be considered addictive." - JAMA

Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs explains how the pursuit of pleasure can result in compulsion and loss of control, and explores positive ways to achieve lasting happiness. It provides insight on how to improve quality of life and how to offer support to students, clients, family, or friends whose lives may be compromised by addiction. Timely and comprehensive, the text addresses current topics related to drug use and society, including the medicalization, legalization, and widespread availability of THC, the complex problem of prescription and black-market opioid and heroin abuse, nicotine's effects on the brain, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and hookah bars, and more. Early chapters address addiction through topics such as pleasure and the brain, food addictions and the ways food can alter neurochemistry, and the effect of stress hormones on mood. Later chapters discuss the prevention and treatment methods discovered within the past decade, namely the introduction of natural highs - such as exercise, meditation, and eating well - to children to help them achieve pleasure and reduce stress without the use of dangerous substances. Highly readable and engaging, Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs will appeal to students of addictive behavior, physical and mental health practitioners of all kinds, and anyone interested in discovering healthy ways to find satisfaction, wellness, and a natural sense of elation in life.

What does it take to make you feel "high"? Do you routinely reach for caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, or sugary snacks to get you through the day? Unfortunately, the quick fixes we have become accustomed to don't work long-term, and often contribute further to the underlying problems of fatigue, depression, brain fog, and anxiety. In Natural Highs, two leading authorities in psychology and nutrition present a prescriptive breakthrough program based on nutritional supplements, herbs, and simple mind-body therapies that will help to increase energy, sharpen the mind, elevate mood, relax the body, and beat stress. Their remarkable research shows how to formulate the perfect "brainfood" to improve how we think and feel, resulting in a greater sense of connection and joy in everyday life-the natural high.

Thoroughly revised and updated, this third edition offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the social psychology of aggression, covering all the relevant major theories, individual differences, situational factors, and applied contexts. Understanding the causes, forms, and consequences of aggression and violence is critical for dealing with these harmful forms of social behavior. Addressing a range of sub-topics, the first part deals with the definition and measurement of aggression, presents major theories, examines the development of aggression and discusses individual and gender differences in aggressive behaviour. It covers the role of situational factors in eliciting aggression and the impact of exposure to violence in the media. The second part examines specific forms and manifestations of aggression, including chapters on aggression in everyday contexts and in the family, sexual aggression, intergroup aggression, and terrorism. The new edition also includes additional coverage of gender differences, gun violence, and terrorism, to reflect the latest research developments in the field. Also discussing strategies for reducing and preventing aggression, this book is essential reading for students and researchers in psychology and related disciplines, as well as practitioners and policy makers.

"Drop addictive sweets and starches--and stop weight gain--in 24 hours"--Dust jacket.

Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs explains how the pursuit of pleasure can result in compulsion and loss of control, and explores positive ways to achieve lasting happiness. It provides insight on how to improve quality of life and how to offer support to students, clients, family, or friends whose lives may be compromised by addiction. Timely and comprehensive, the text addresses current topics related to drug use and society, including the medicalization, legalization, and widespread availability of THC, the complex problem of prescription and black-market opioid and heroin abuse, nicotine's effects on the brain, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and hookah bars, and more. Early chapters address addiction through topics such as pleasure and the brain, food addictions and the ways food can alter neurochemistry, and the effect of stress hormones on mood. Later chapters discuss the prevention and treatment methods discovered within the past decade, namely the introduction of natural highs - such as exercise, meditation, and eating well - to children to help them achieve pleasure and reduce stress without the use of dangerous substances. Highly readable and engaging, Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs will appeal to students of addictive behavior, physical and mental health practitioners of all kinds, and anyone interested in discovering healthy ways to find satisfaction, wellness, and a natural sense of elation in life. Harvey B. Milkman earned his doctorate at Michigan State University. He is professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he specializes in cognitive-behavioral approaches to mood alteration. He is visiting professor at Reykjavik University in Iceland. Stanley G. Sunderwirth, Ph.D., was professor emeritus at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis and the author of numerous publications on brain chemistry and its effect on mind, mood, and behavior. He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from The Ohio State University. Katherine G. Hill, Ph.D., is associate professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Dr. Hill completed postdoctoral training at Oregon Health & Science University, studying models of drug and alcohol reward. Her areas of expertise include psychopharmacology, and cravings and addictions.

Supplementing theological interpretation with historical, literary, and philosophical perspectives, The Weight of Love analyzes the nature and role of affectivity in medieval Christian devotion through an original interpretation of the writings of the Franciscan theologian Bonaventure. It intervenes in two crucial developments in medieval Christian thought and practice: the renewal of interest in the corpus of Dionysius the Areopagite in thirteenth-century Paris and the proliferation of new forms of affective meditation focused on the passion of Christ in the later Middle Ages. Through the exemplary life and death of Francis of Assisi, Robert Glenn Davis examines how Bonaventure traces a mystical itinerary culminating in the meditant’s full participation in Christ’s crucifixion. For Bonaventure, Davis asserts, this death represents the becoming-body of the soul, the consummation and transformation of desire into the crucified body of Christ. In conversation with the contemporary historiography of emotions and critical theories of affect, The Weight of Love contributes to scholarship on medieval devotional literature by urging and offering a more sustained engagement with the theological and philosophical elaborations of affectus. It also contributes to debates around the “affective turn” in the humanities by placing it within this important historical context, challenging modern categories of affect and emotion.