Psychology of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Research Perspective [Paperback]

John R. Jung (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761921001 | ISBN-13: 978-0761921004 | Publication Date: July 22, 2000 | Edition: 1

Psychology of Alcohol and Other Drugs encourages the reader to become a critical consumer rather than a docile recipient of research information in this field, much of it interpreted in a highly dubious and frequently political manner.

The author offers a psychological perspective in his coverage of alcohol and drug-related issues, focusing in depth on key topics.

-Examines the contribution of research methodology to outcomes

-Offers alternative explanations to alcohol and drug-related issues

-Considers causal relationships in substance abuse

-Discusses alcohol and drug abuse in different groups defined by gender, age race, and marital status

-Includes Danish and Swedish studies of hereditary and environmental influences

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book is an impressive piece of work, covering a very broad spectrum of topics. The author demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the field. Important is his underlining of the scientific base of knowledge. The main focus of the book is the American scene; European research and perspectives are not always so well covered. Nevertheless, the book will be of considerable interest also for European readers. It is well written, extensive and thorough. Both introductory students and more experienced readers will find this book valuable. It has a vast number of facts and references. (Fanny Duckert )

"This is a substantial book, which covers the epidemiology, aetiology, prevention and treatment of substance misuse, together with a methodical analysis of practice and research. The author justifies his focus on alcohol, because of its status as the drug of choice in the US; he does not neglect other drugs and there is valuable work on the position of tobacco in particular. The epidemiology and political perspectives are exclusively based on US data. A more international perspective would have been welcome, but the treatment sections avoid any accusations of parochialism and it would be a pity if the book was neglected outside the US. The advantages of a single author are evident with a consistently readable style. The tone of the book is fair and broad-minded. There is careful, at times laborious, analysis. The book is well referenced, though relatively little post 1995 work is cited. The text is well laid out and structured which helps accessibility. The strongest sections are on the application of basic psychological principles to addictions and there are very useful reviews of `special groups' classified by age, gender and race. These are much debated, but little studied, issues and Professor Jung's reviews are a very welcome contribution. Once again, the focus is on the US, but there are key principles outlined here. Overall, however, this is a major new introductory textbook for students from a range of disciplines. It represents an excellent starting point for new students and is a useful resource for experienced practitioners and researchers." (Peter Rice )

Product Details

• Paperback: 648 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (July 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761921001
• ISBN-13: 978-0761921004
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a 40 year career as a Professor of Psychology, I began to reflect on many aspects of my personal development and returned to a question that I had avoided many times during my life, namely, how do I, as a second-generation Chinese American fit in a predominantly black and white society.

I grew up in Macon, Georgia, where I was born to Chinese immigrant parents who operated a laundry during the years before the civil rights era. Ours was the only Chinese family in town, so it was difficult for me to understand who I was, ethnically speaking. Even after we moved to San Francisco when I was an adolescent, it was still difficult for me to know what it meant to be a Chinese American because I was so different from the San Francisco Chinese who had lived so closely among other Chinese all of their lives. Then just as I was 'becoming' Chinese American, I moved to other parts of the country where few Chinese lived, and I had to just forget about or ignore my "Chinese-ness" and concentrate on my career development and live as a "color-neutral" person.

My attempts to understand how my ethnic identity emerged led me to write a memoir "Southern Fried Rice: Life in A Chinese Laundry in the Deep South," in 2005. I soon realized from positive responses from readers and audiences when I gave book talks/signings all over the U. S. that this was an important story to preserve and share. Several people, for example, shared that they too grew up in cultural isolation where they were the only Chinese people in their communities and/or they also grew up helping in their parents'laundry.

I never aspired to write more than one book about Chinese Americans, but in the course of doing research to further my understanding of how and why my parents ended in Georgia, and how they were treated, I was inspired to write 3 additional books. "Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain" (2007)examined the vital role that this ethnic business had for Chinese immigrants for over a century all over the U. S. and Canada. A third book in 2008, "Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers" described the history of Chinese grocery store owners in small communities during the era when Jim Crow laws prevailed. My most recent book in 2010, "Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants," was the study of another stereotypical Chinese business, the restaurant that examined its origins, operation, and impact on society and the families that ran them. My four books share the common goal of exploring how Chinese immigrants starting from the late 1800s until beyond the middle of the past century managed to overcome the hostile societal prejudices against Chinese and other "Orientals" to succeed in opening family businesses such as laundries, grocery stores, and restaurants.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Scientific Review of Addictions, November 16, 2001

By 

"sfodxp" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Research Perspective (Paperback)

This text is absolutely the most readible and comprehensive review of the world of behavioral science research on addiction. It is as broad and complete as any recent NIDA, NIAAA or Institute of Medicine summaries.

The sections on special populations and gender studies cannot be found easily in other places, as well as, the bibliographic references are extremely well chosen and thorough for those needing to find the seminal references.

In short, this is truly a one of a kind textbook suitable of upper division courses, a postgraduate seminar or research or program design. If you are looking for clinician's manual, this is not for you. If you are looking for a carefully selected review of research literature without unnecessary jibberish...use this text.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author Explains: Why Another Book on this topic?, June 15, 2002

By 

John Jung "jrjung" (Cypress, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psychology of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Research Perspective (Paperback)

My book places emphasis on evaluation of major issues and scientific studies. Most books on this topic focus on personal accounts, case histories, or counseling and treatment approaches.

Here is an excerpt from a review of the book published in a leading scientific journal, Addiction, 2001, 96, 782-783:

"...The book is an impressive piece of work, covering a very broad spectrum of topics. The author demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the field. Important is his underlining of the scientific base of knowledge. The main focus of the book is the American scene; European research and perspectives are not always so well covered. Nevertheless, the book will be of considerable interest also for European readers. It is well written, extensive and thorough. Both introductory students and more experienced readers will find this book valuable. It has a vast number of facts and references. .."

FANNY DUCKERT
Institute of Psychology, Oslo, Norway

A second review in a major research journal, Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 98-99, 2003:

This single author text book identifies its target audience as psychology and social science students in the US, but its potential readership is much wider.

This is a substantial book, which covers the epidemiology, aetiology, prevention and treatment of substance misuse, together with a methodical analysis of practice and research. The author justifies his focus on alcohol, because of its status as the drug of choice in the US; he does not neglect other drugs and there is valuable work on the position of tobacco in particular. The epidemiology and political perspectives are exclusively based on US data. A more international perspective would have been welcome, but the treatment sections avoid any accusations of parochialism and it would be a pity if the book was neglected outside the US.

The advantages of a single author are evident with a consistently readable style. The tone of the book is fair and broad-minded. There is careful, at times laborious, analysis. The book is well referenced, though relatively little post 1995 work is cited. The text is well laid out and structured which helps accessibility.

The strongest sections are on the application of basic psychological principles to addictions and there are very useful reviews of `special groups' classified by age, gender and race. These are much debated, but little studied, issues and Professor Jung's reviews are a very welcome contribution. Once again, the focus is on the US, but there are key principles outlined here.

The weaker area of the book is on the inter-relationship with health problems, including psychiatric illness and this is one area which may have benefited from another contributor.

Overall, however, this is a major new introductory textbook for students from a range of disciplines. It represents an excellent starting point for new students and is a useful resource for experienced practitioners and researchers.

Peter Rice