The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction (Kindle Edition)

by Dirk Hanson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you, a friend or family member have an addiction problem, read this book." --Entrepreneur, June, 2009

"Well researched, written and edited, providing the most current/contemporary information available." -- Midwest Book Review, June, 2009

Science reporter Dirk Hanson presents a savvy, big-hearted exploration of the latest investigations into addiction science.

Like it or not, the popular imagination still views addiction not so much as a disease, but as the product of a weak-willed lifestyle. But, as biological psychology indicates, the concept is much more complicated. Hanson begins with an overview of drugs--use and abuse, legal and illegal--and how they work on our brains, with a particularly astute look at the roles of dopamine and serotonin and how nerve receptors function. He then shifts into methods of treating the disease of addiction, sociological as well as medical. In a soothing bedside manner, Hanson serves forth the whole addiction picture without false promises or dire forecasts. We each have biochemical individuality while sharing neurochemical pathways of reward and relief and unconscientiously fashioning them to our desires: ways to feel good, molecular levels of bliss. Though Hanson's tone may be conversational, like an informal chat with an informed friend, he nonetheless takes readers through the science of brain function and explicates what is known about its chemistry, physiology and psychology. He looks at the pros and cons of today's pharmacopoeia, and gives a thorough, entertaining tour of the government's part in its creation. The author is equally engaging when it comes to the role of diet and exercise. Hanson also has much to say in the contest between criminalization and harm reduction, strategies that "aim for the creation of non-coercive, community-based recovery programs and resources for drug users." In all instances, he smartly summarizes the medical studies and gives sources to pursue investigation.

Insights into addiction that are wise, generous and humble. -- Kirkus Discoveries

Product Description

''The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction'' by Dirk Hanson is a new book for anyone concerned with the care and healing of addiction, substance abuse, and the latest advances in the area of addiction science. Author Hanson has written a vital resource for friends and families of addicts and alcoholics, as well as health groups and substance abuse professionals.

In ''The Chemical Carousel,'' science writer Dirk Hanson takes the reader on a voyage through the heady world of addiction science, from the lab to the clinic to the junky on the street. Hanson explains the workings of common neurotransmitters and documents the direct effect drugs and alcohol produce on the reward pathways of the brain. He shows how scientists and treatment professionals have finally given us an answer to the perennial question about addiction: Why can't those people just say no?

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 819 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing; 1st edition (April 12, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00280LZB8
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,178 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book On Addiction I have Ever read, April 25, 2009

By	J. Forester (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction (Paperback)

"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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an honest depiction of addiction, May 7, 2009

By	John Graham "rock doc" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction (Paperback)

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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the biology of addiction., April 25, 2009

By	Dr. R. E. Hanson (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction (Paperback)

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.