Customer Reviews

Addictive Behaviors: New Readings on Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment

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I begin with a caveat: I have not read this book. I have read all of his other ones, however, and value his work along with the few great men in his field, like William Miller. I do admit I had the pleasure of having dinner with him, once, almost two decades ago. My original attraction to his work, albeit grounded in solid research, was his use of "mindfulness" and his obvious and deep compassion for the people who have been the "objects" of his attention. I have spoken with him several times in the ensuing years and he has always been available and the network of his connections have been quite useful. Now retired, having specialized in Dual Diagnosis, and the interrelatedness of trauma and addictive behavior, I am well past the phase of life in which I am looking for a guru or teacher; however, he gives freshness to the word, pedagogy, devoid of hierachy and the disconnect of "isms." You could not find a greater mind to explore, without prejudice, an area of investigation, that has, in the past, been frought with preconceptions and dogma. His lines of thought are elegant, skillful, and refreshing. If you are "in the field" you absolutely MUST be exposed to parts of his lifetime of commitment to engaging in the true dialectic of abuse and recovery. So what is the synthesis and how does it become the new thesis looking for the new antithesis? He always seems to bring a delightfully grounded stance to his queries. BTW, I have never posted to Amazon; this man's efforts have, in the past, inspired me and, for all of our stakes, I wish that he gets the exposure that can only serve to enrich the lives of those that still suffer from compulsions that touch many lives so deeply and negatively.