Addiction or Self Medication? The Truth (Paperback)

by Louis F. Markert (Author), Manijeh Nikakhtar (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I congratulate the authors for providing a new vision for the treatment of millions of Americans suffering from drug addiction. -- Dr. Paul Kurtz, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo

This book discusses the nature of chemical dependency and offers a new scientific path to recovery... -- A statement from the Honorable Leroy Baca, Sheriff of Los Angeles county.

Product Description
This book presents a contemporary breakthrough view of substance addiction and recovery and outlines the components of a comprehensive, scientific, state-of-the art approach for the treatment of chemical dependency and addiction. It discusses psychosocial, psychobiological, and other aspects of addiction. The authors explore the dynamics of the development of Alcoholics Anonymous and the limitations of its 12-step fellowship approach to recovery. Topics include: drugs as self-medication, the reward pathwways of the brain, the psychology and physiology of craving, the psychodynamics of addiction and recovery, cultural attitudes towards drugs and alcohol, the need for legal and criminal justice reform, and the role of defense mechanisms in addiction and recovery.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 179 pages
• Publisher: Alik; 1st edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883819571
• ISBN-13: 978-1883819576
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,917,490 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling!, January 6, 2001

By	N.N.B. (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is terrific... It is the first attempt at dispelling the myth about drug abuse, and the attempt falls no less than superb. The book dissects the physiology and psychology of drug use, but it does so in layman terms. It also exposes the truth about what causes drug use--what the doctors and the media don't tell us. It is easy to read and gives you the complete story. In other words, it de-mystifies substance addiction. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, accessible, insightful, October 9, 2001

By	Howard Pratt (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

Perhaps this book is not suitable to those who dismiss medicine as a science, but for readers in search of scientific facts, this book is indeed insightful as it adds valuable knowledge to the field of substance treatment. I commend the authors of this book for stating a fact that had been unexposed for too long. After watching Dr. Nikakhtar on CNN, I ordered this book and found it useful and intelligent. The authors of this book look far into the biological and psycho-social factors of addiction and diligently report what the scientific community has held to be true for a long time--that substance abuse is not the fault of the addict but the result of biological and psycho-social conditions that can be addressed and treated. The authors have painstakingly outlined the source of addiction and have finally de-stigmatized addiction, explaining that it is a medical condition that can be treated and CURED!!!
I've recommended this book to my colleagues in the field of health care and they have found it equally helpful in their treatment of addiction.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, precise, and of tremendous value to the community, January 23, 2001

By A Customer

This book, written in layman's terms, is a fast read while loaded with invaluable information. It is the most innovative approach to substance abuse recovery. The authors dispel the notion that substance abuse is a character flaw, from which one will never recover. They set about empowering the medical community to take action in helping those who are self-medicating via substance abuse. It inspires those who are self-medicating via substance abuse to feel empowered to resolve the underlying issues that have caused the substance abuse in the first place. This is a book that eliminates the victim mentality of typical 12-step programs and encourages self-empowerment. It is a must read for anyone in the medical field, as well as for anyone who has or is self medicating via substance abuse, or has someone in their lives who is self-medicating via substance abuse.