Customer Reviews

The Craving Brain: A bold new approach to breaking free from *drug addiction *overeating *alcoholism *gambling

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Second Edition of The Craving Brain adds significantly to the First Edition. Looks to me like it adds two chapters, though the cover says it only added one. Anyway, the two chapter _titles_ added are "Biobalance to Mindfitness" and "Curing Sobriety." The only other changes seem to be minor edits moving away from 'medications as panacea' and towards attitude and lifestyle changes to accomplish the same results with fewer complications.

Here is my review of the First Edition, and it still stands:
Why do I stuff a whole bag of candy or quart of ice cream into my face? Why am I obsessed with Suzy down the street? Why do some people become alcoholics while others don't who drink just as much? Why am I so depressed? How can I learn to be satisfied with just the amount of food, sex and excitement that is good for me? This amazing book explains a neurobiological mechanism common to all these questions and more. It also provides helpful tools for the management of excessive cravings. This is done with such clarity and simplicity, and is potentially so valuable to humanity, that I believe it should be taught in school.

Anyone who has had issues with depression, obsessiveness, impulse control or addiction should be sure to get the Second Edition, which adds a lot of material on non-drug management of such problems.

In addition to reviewing the neurochemical, environmental and genetic mechanisms of addiction, Dr. Ruden phenomenally explains the role that chronic, inescapable stress contributes to addictive behavior. I cannot recommend the book highly enough to healthcare professionals and the addicted interested in exploring the basis of the addictive process.

This is a great little book for both the lay public and professionals. I highly recommend it. It provides a good, solid scientific understanding of addiction in simple language and offers the reader useful guidelines about moving beyond sobriety and toward cure. --Fred P. Gallo, Ph.D., Author of Energy Psychology: Explorations at the Interface of Energy, Cognition, Behavior, and Health, Second Edition (Innovations in Psychology) and Energy Tapping for Trauma: Rapid Relief from Post-Traumatic Stress Using Energy Psychology

Unfortunately, BobReadsalot just didn't get it. As Dr. Ruden says, this is not a self-help book. Ruden offers a fascinating theory of the physiological links that lead to craving and addiction. He provides the science very effectively in language any good reader can understand. Since all the needed research to support his theory has not been done, he offers an approach to intervening in the craving process that has been shown to work with alcoholics -- neurofeedback. In the future, when the research is done, Dr. Ruden's very-sound theory very likely will be one of the important stepping stones. One important contribution of this book for those seeking self-help is its insight that physiologic causes, rather than human weakness, trigger addiction. For those of us addicts who are tired of being blamed for our addiction, this book offers hope for a better future and takes the blame off our backs. Readers of Dr. Ruden's book should contact the National Institute of Drug Abuse and suggest that its reasearchers test Ruden's theory.

This is an excellent book for those that know nothing about addiction. For those that thought it was a matter of choice, you will find out that other than the first time or two, it is then out of the user's ability to just stop.

This is an excellent and cutting edge explanation of addiction that ties together not only chemical dependencies but process dependencies. Also a very hopeful book in that answers are presented and current approaches validated and explained as to why they are working for those who apply them. Give it a read!

This book is extremely informative and anyone interested in the substance abuse field of work or just curious about this topic must read this book.

This was a textbook for an online class about working with people in rehabilitation. It clearly helps to set up the understanding of unstoppable cravings. Not just addictions to drugs, but also other addictions that are more socially acceptable. It explains addictive behavior and how the biology works with a person in this situation. A significant amount of time is spend on the "craving response" and how one battles for control. It would recommend this book for reading if family members or self sees themselves in this situation. There is also a chapter on how to keep stress from sabotaging your brain's chemistry. It states that it is a bold new approach to breaking free from drug addiction, overeating, alcoholism and gambling so if you need help and guidance this is worth reading.

This book is a great support for 12-steppers. Dovetails nicely with my understanding of strong recovery.

The Craving Brain's ""bold new approach'' to breaking free from addiction is neither bold nor knew. Attend AA, raise your seratonin level so that it biobalances with dopamine and you have a better chance of gaining and retaining sobriety. Great. For those of us who have been unsuccessful in AA and were pining our hopes on this new approach, it's disappointing. Oh, or we could try the eight paths of Bhudda. Geez. Sorry, Dr. Ruden. And to pad your book with more scientific techno speak near the end was also disappointing.