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The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction

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"Cunning, baffling, powerful," is how the AA Big Book describes addiction, and as an addict myself, that description jibed very well with my experience.

Until now.

At the height of addiction the addict has no more idea why they use than family or friends - or what to do about it. But now, for the first time, Dirk Hanson has demystified the inexplicable. This book is a must read for addiction professionals, but also for all addicts, recovered or not, and those who love them. The language is clear and engaging, often reading like a good thriller, and the information provided is rock solid. A major contribution destined to elevate and further a critical discussion. This Chemical Carousel, simply put, will lessen the pain, hopelessness and confusion of all those who read it. There is hope and health and rational exploration and discovery within the pages of this book.

I grew up with an addict. My mother, sister, and I spent our lives tip-toeing around the house, hoping we wouldn't enrage our alcoholic father, avoiding the inevitable outburst, trying not to get hit. There was no way that my father could "just say no." After reading Dirk Hanson's book, The Chemical Carousel, I now know why. But this book isn't just about alcoholism. Hanson has written a thoughtful and thorough description of the complex world of addiction, regardless of the drug of choice. He systematically dismantles the world of addiction and he does it in a way that both the layman and the scientist may understand. Anybody who has struggled with addiction, who has lived with an addict, who knows someone who is an addict, whose job requires dealing with addicts, or anybody interested in knowing the world of the addict to better understand this disease, needs to read this book

Like Plato dispelling the mythology of the "flat earth" Hanson looks to science and critical thinking to begin to break down the mythology of addiction and substance abuse. Hanson uses an easy to read yet densely informative story line to bring the reader out of the wilderness of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" to a detailed understanding of the biology and biochemistry that fundamentally underlie everyone's individual potential for addiction. Packed with eye opening information, "The Chemical Carousel" is a must read for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the biology behind the human proclivity for substance abuse.

As a recovering alcoholic-slash-addict, as a writer of a memoir dealing with addiction, (The Los Angeles Diaries), I've read 89 books on the subject of alcoholism and addiction, and I can say without reservation that Dirk Hanson's THE CHEMICAL CAROUSEL is one of my top five favorites. It is well researched. It is exceedingly well written. It is unbiased, yet empathetic to the plight of the addict/alcoholic, and the sections on overeating and tobacco add further dimension to the text, citing scientific parallels between all forms of obsession. An outstanding book. I highly recommend it to anyone suffering from addiction, for those in the process of recovery, to family members of addicts and alcoholics, and all professionals in the field of addiction studies and counseling.

James Brown

Just a few weeks back, I had a conversation with the local district attorney at a party (over a beer I might add), and the conversation came around to repeat DWI offenders. He told me one offender had just been charged with his 9th offense. We both shook our heads in disbelief and disgust and hoped that the state legislature would toughen laws to better protect us from drunk drivers. Shame on him, and shame on me. Dirk Hanson's book stripped away my prejudices and misconceptions on the disease of addiction. Hanson showed me that putting addicts in jail makes as much sense as putting diabetics or cancer patients behind bars. Addiction is a difficult, painful and multifaceted chronic affliction. Hanson's diligent research and his finely written book give us all hope that we can one day make some real progress in slowing this growing epidemic. That Hanson himself is a recovering addict and a great writer makes this book all the more powerful. He could have made the mistake of the addict writing an emotional memoir of how he or she beat addiction. But the journalist in him doused any thoughts of self-indulgence or pity. We are all the better for it. Addicts, law enforcement officials, politicians, healthcare providers, anyone who gives a hoot about curing what Hanson terms this "fatal disease" should read this important book.

Craig Zarley

As a psychologist of the personality, I find Hanson's publication to be sound in described methods and well supported by his documentation.

I especially appreciate his reference on page 310 regarding the Maharishi and Dr. Benson, as these two people have helped many of my boomer generation from dissolving into substance abuse.

J. Lightfoot
Minnesota

As a health care professional working closely with addicts within the justice(?)system, I have witnessed too many individuals caught in the infinite spiral of courts/punishment/job loss/family disruption/poverty/hope/relapse/courts/punishment/job loss/family disruption/poverty/hope/relapse. This pattern can be disrupted for varying lengths of time but almost never, within present venues and systems, can we say someone is "cured".

For too long the problem of substance addiction, including alcoholism, has been labeled a defect in character. Although now accepted as a disease, it is not viewed or treated as such by the general public. With this book Dirk Hanson has clearly enumerated the complex factors that underlie addiction and fully explained how the addictive process influences and damages the human brain. He offers no cure nor new treatment modalities, but he does provide a basic understanding of the underpinnings of addiction that will allow those cursing the disease to see it as they should.

I was introduced to Dirk Hanson through his blog, "Addiction Inbox", an excellent resource for anyone who is seeking up-to-date and well reviewed information on chemical dependency and psychopharmacology. I linked on to the preview of his book, "The Chemical Carousel" and instantly decided to purchase it. Hanson's writing is descriptive but concise, and explains addiction with clarity and ease of understanding. I highly recommend this book to those who work in the field of addiction (including all mental health workers, due to the high rate of dual diagnosis patients) or anyone interested in chemical dependency and the brain. Addiction is clearly a disease and not a choice; those who claim that it is a choice or moral failing fail to take into account craving and withdrawal, which is miserable and involuntary. Excellent book; highly informative and engagingly written.