High Anxieties is a collection of essays exploring the historical and ideological notions of addition, from the Opium Wars to the current war on drugs, to the internet.

Different cultures and the specific culture manifested within them are intrinsically linked to addiction in a complex fashion which has a long history. For important thinkers, such as Nietzsche, addiction actually embodies human culture, rendering addiction and culture inseparable. This is clearly seen within the Western world's addiction to the consumption of material goods and the damage that results. Utopia has often become dystopia. Not only is an understanding of addiction key to understanding culture but to an understanding of the very act thinking itself and the way of being in the world. Addiction raises key philosophical questions, such as: do people really have a choice in their behavior, and what governs them; is it free will or predetermination? Is it biology or environment is it the external world or the internal that drives addiction, or a complex combination of both? In a contemporary context the media frenzy around celebrity addiction continually fuels public debate in this area, and this book deepens the understanding of addiction within this contentious context. This book addresses a key concern over how addiction became the norm, and it seeks to understand its dominance comprehensively. How did it come to pass that not being an addict was a transgressive act and way of being? While there has been a great deal of debate about addiction utilizing the discourse of individual and often competing disciplines such as biology and psychology, little attention has been paid to the cultural aspects of addiction. The innovative approach taken by this book is to offer insights into this complex area through a contemporary methodology that covers diverse interrelated areas. Drawing on different disciplines, offering deeper insights, from the analysis of music lyrics to empirical social science and anthropological work in AA groups in Mexico and the portrayal of the "addiction' to therapy in film and television, amongst other areas, this book addresses the need for a more comprehensive approach. Academic analysis is also given to the discourse on celebrity culture and addiction. A contemporary fusion of the humanities and the social sciences is the best way forward to tackle this subject and move the debate on. The focus of this study is an innovative interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to addiction, from the social sciences to the humanities, including cultural studies, film and media studies, and literary studies. Areas that have been overlooked, such as lost women's writings, are examined, in addition to comics, popular film and television, and the work of AA groups. This edited collection is the first study to provide such a comprehensive analysis of the cultures of addiction. Traversing cultures across the globe, including Asia, Central America, as well as Europe and America, this book opens up the debate in addiction studies and cultural studies. The important insights the book delivers helps to answer questions such as: In what way can Deleuze further the understanding of addiction through the analysis of rock lyrics? How does anthropology improve the understanding of AA groups? How can cultural studies deepen knowledge on the "addiction" to therapy? These are just some of the vast array of areas this book covers. Other areas include the condemnation of "addiction" to comic reading through an historical examination, violence in popular culture, and lost women's writing on addiction. No other book has such depth and contemporary breadth. Cultures of Addiction is an important book for those taking cultural studies courses across a range of interrelated disciplines, including English and literary studies, history, American studies, and film and media studies. This will be invaluable to library collections in these fields and beyond in the social sciences, and specifically in addiction studies and psychology.

Written by leaders in the addictions field, 100 authors from six countries, this handbook is a thoroughly comprehensive resource. Philosophical and legal issues are addressed, while conceptual underpinnings are provided through explanations of appetitive motivation, incentive sensitization, reward deficiency, and behavioral economics theories. Major clinical and research methods are clearly mapped out (e.g. MRI, behavioral economics, interview assessments, and qualitative approaches), outlining their strengths and weaknesses, giving the reader the tools needed to guide their research and practice aims. The etiology of addiction at various levels of analysis is discussed, including neurobiology, cognition, groups, culture, and environment, which simultaneously lays out the foundations and high-level discourse to serve both novice and expert researchers and clinicians. Importantly, the volume explores the prevention and treatment of such addictions as alcohol, tobacco, novel drugs, food, gambling, sex, work, shopping, the internet, and several seldom-investigated behaviors (e.g. love, tanning, or exercise).

Addiction argues that addiction should be understood not as a disease but as a phenomenon that must be understood on many levels at once. Employing a complex dynamic systems approach and philosophical methodology, Shelby explains addiction as an irreducible neurobiological, psychological, developmental, environmental, and sociological phenomenon.

"This book takes an integrative approach to the understanding of drug use and its relationship to social-cultural factors. It is lucidly and powerfully argued and constitutes a significant achievement. The authors sensibly argue that in order to fully understand and explain drug use and abuse it is necessary to take into account different levels of analysis, reflecting distinct domains of human functioning; the biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical....Overall, this book represents an exceptional achievement and should be of interest to drug clinicians and researcher as well as social scientists and students." --Professor Tony Ward, University of Melbourne Substance use and abuse are two of the most frequent psychological problems clinicians encounter. Mainstream approaches focus on the biological and psychological factors supporting drug abuse. But to fully comprehend the issue, clinicians need to consider the social, historical, and cultural factors responsible for drug-related problems. Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives provides an inclusive explanation of the human desire to take drugs. Using a multidisciplinary framework, authors Russil Durrant and Jo Thakker explore the cultural and historical variables that contribute to drug use. Integrating biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical perspectives, this innovative and accessible volume addresses the fundamental question of why drug use is such a ubiquitous feature of human society. provides an inclusive explanation of the human desire to take drugs. Using a multidisciplinary framework, authors Russil Durrant and Jo Thakker explore the cultural and historical variables that contribute to drug use. Integrating biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical perspectives, this innovative and accessible volume addresses the fundamental question of why drug use is such a ubiquitous feature of human society. Addressing issues important to prevention, treatment, and public policy, the authors include A comprehensive, historical survey of drug use An exploration of the evolutionary basis of drug-taking behavior Historically and culturally based explanations of drug use and abuse Inclusive approaches that complement mainstream biopsychosocial perspectives Designed for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, counseling, sociology, social work, and health departments, Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives will also be of significant interest to drug clinicians, researchers, and social scientists.

Addiction is increasingly being recognized as a major global public health issue, and an ever-growing number of medical specialties, psychological and social science training programs, and professional associations are including addiction as part of their training and continuing education curricula. The first edition of this book presented an overview of the spectrum of addiction-related problems across different cultures around the globe. Sharing the experience and wisdom of more than 260 leading experts in the field, and promoted by the International Society of Addiction Medicine, it compared and contrasted clinical practices in the field of addiction medicine on the basis of neurobiological similarities as well as epidemiological and socio-cultural differences. Building on the success of this inaugural edition, and taking into account the formal and informal comments received as well as an assessment of current need, this textbook presents general updated information while retaining the most requested sections of the first edition as demonstrated by the number of chapter downloads. It also provides a basic text for those preparing for the ISAM annual certification exam. Written by some 220 international experts, it is a valuable reference resource for anyone interested in medicine, psychology, nursing, and social science.