Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used & Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy [Paperback]

Cynthia Kuhn (Author), Jeremy J. Foster (Author), Leigh Heather Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Neither a "just say no" treatise nor a "how-to" manual, this easy-to-read handbook is based on the conviction that well-informed people make better decisions. It provides information on how drugs enter the body, how they manipulate the brain, their short- and long-term effects, the "high" they produce and the circumstances in which they can be deadly. Little material is available to the public on the most up-to-date psychological and pharmacological research on drugs. Whether the reader is a student confronted by drugs for the first time, an accountant reaching for another cup of coffee, or a health educator, this book aims to provide a clear understanding of how drugs work and the consequences of their use.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The gap between scientific information and public information about drugs is growing hour by hour," declare the authors of this thorough, popular guide to pharmaceutical and recreational chemicals. The public's misinformation, they say, is only compounded by the fact that most descriptions of drugs' benefits and risks are oversimplified, inaccurate and politicized. Marijuana, for example, is portrayed by some organizations as a wonder drug, and by others as a dangerous contagion. The authors' guide aims to avoid such pitfalls. Divided into a dozen sections-Alcohol, Caffeine, Ecstasy, Hallucinogens, Herbal Drugs, Inhalants, Marijuana, Nicotine, Opiates, Sedatives, Steroids, and Stimulants-the book adopts a straight, neutral tone that reflects its commitment to providing unbiased, scientific fact. As professors at the Duke University Medical Center, Khun, Swartzwelder and Wilson are well-qualified to analyze and synthesize lots of complicated information, and this second edition of the guide has been fully revised to reflect scientists' growing knowledge of how chemicals of all kinds affect our health and development. Best of all, the descriptions are jargon-free, making this book a great choice for anyone looking for clear, reliable information about any kind of drug. 8 pages color illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

There is no talking down or trying to be hip in this guide to recreational drugs. The title is the slangiest thing about it, until the glossary of street language at its end, and a reader needs to feel comfortable with the polysyllabics of pharmacology, though the diction is otherwise common, not technical. The long first part consists of chapters on each of 12 kinds of drug: alcohol, caffeine, enactogens, hallucinogens, herbal drugs, inhalants, marijuana, nicotine, opiates, sedatives, steroids, and stimulants. Each chapter initially lists individual drugs of the kind and their common names and briefly describes the drug's "buzz," immediate hazards (overdose, etc.), and dangerous interactions with other substances; discursive text on the drug's history, effects, and other topics, such as, when pertinent, addiction, fill out the chapter. The book's second part contains chapters on the working of the brain, drugs in general, addiction in general, and legal issues. A sound, thorough, authoritative resource that, though aimed primarily at college students, will be a solid asset in every public library. Ray Olson

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Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393317323
• ISBN-13: 978-0393317329
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book -- it could save your life, March 23, 2000

By 

a college student - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used & Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Paperback)

In a time where literature on illegal substance is usually limited to propaganda either for or against drugs, their legalization, etc.., this book provides a refreshing, unbiased account. The knowledge it provides on a drug's different effects on the body, the brain, one's emotional well-being, and its addictive potential prove to be invaluable. This is not a crusade against the use of substances, but it does not seek to glorify their use. Anyone planning on experimenting with any drug should at least read this book first. It allows an individual to weigh the risks from a more educated point of view as it dispels myths and delivers what it says it will: the straight facts.

I would urge everyone involved in this area from policy makers to other students to buy this book and read it. I finished it in two days, and I'm a better-informed, more careful thinker because of it.

Don't go to a party without it.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Primer On Many Aspects Of Addictive Substances, September 7, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used & Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Paperback)

I am a health care professional who just started working with patients in a hospital detox setting. This book was exactly what I was looking for as a review and primer on the effects different drugs had on the brain and body. The book is in two parts. Part one is basically a quick reference to the different classes of addictive substances, how they affect the brain, how the body disposes of them, the type of withdrawl someone will experience, etc. Part two covers some basics of neuropharmacology which you will need to understand some of the technical info in part one, and also goes into things as varied as the addictive process and social and legal issues involved with drug use. There is a good bibliography and a great index with many of the common street names for a variety of drugs and drug related activities.
I would highly reccommend this to anyone in health care, education, or any type of drug counseling or rehab. Great tool for patient/client/student education about drugs that is factual and easy to understand.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Necessity for Those Entering Substance Abuse Arena, January 20, 2000

By 

Warren (New Orleans, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used & Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Paperback)

As a college professor at Delgado in New Orleans, La., I found the book to be very informative and fact based for anyone interested in substance abuse and/or addictions. I am using this book as a text for a class entitled "Introduction to Substance Abuse". The authors are clear, concise and discuss various drugs (including alcohol) at differing levels of use. This is an excellent text book for those preparing to enter the prevention and treatment fields. If you are expecting to read that "all drugs are bad", and other typical statements, this book will not appease you. It has value for the professional interested in the field as well as the parent who may simply wish to be better informed on the current trends in the world of drugs and alcohol. Warren J. Perret,BSCW/BCSAC