This is one of the best books I've read in a long time regarding addiction, though psychology and neuroscience more in general. It should be clear from the outset Dr. Lewis is not anti-psychiatry/medicine/science/etc., does not argue along the lines of Thomas Szasz regarding disease as a metaphor, or in anyway is blind to modern developments in neuroscience, brain scans, or anything along those lines. In fact, he's a neuroscientist and former addict (talk about turning it around).
This books underlying thesis is while addiction is a harmful, compulsive, and incredibly hard to control, it is not a disease and should not fall under the disease model. He does not argue in anyway the brain doesn't change from ongoing drug use, as you'll no doubt see in trainings/lectures where people show a heroin brain next to a normal one. Rather, what he argues is the brain changes from just about any experience. So, if you are craving chocolate and have a similar scan your brain will show differences than a brain not craving chocolate. Similarly, if you're in love, which can make us all be a little nuts, your brain will show a very similar scan to someone addicted to heroin. His overall point is strong desires, achieving those desires, strong desires, achieving those desires, eventually results in a feedback loop that disrupts neural/brain processes responsible for modifying our behavior.
What was most interesting to me was his discussion of ego depletion in Chapter 8, where he discusses treatment methods or advice from people is actually self defeating. If you are attempting to stop using heroin, alcohol, or what not, simply saying to yourself "I won't use", "I must not use", or something similar is one of the worst things to do because it depletes the very area of your brain that helps you not use heroin, making it more likely you will. Rather, you should reinterpret your experiences, view of the substance, and the situation, which results in less or no depletion.
The reason I like this book so much is it's not a pie in the sky, nonsense fluff you will often read and is based on solid research and the way our minds work. He easily combines various brain structures with real life examples to make his underlying point. It is both intellectually demanding (remembering the various brain regions and their interactions) but also very dramatic and real. It's hard not to feel sympathy for some of the people he presents.
I'd highly recommend this book. Again, it's not dismissing neuroscience or brain research, he points out multiple times it's important to erase the stigma of addiction so people can get help, but he shows in a very concise, understanding way we should not view addiction as a disease similar to cancer, diabetes, or what not. It's very readable and combines current research with good stories of people he's spoken to who have been through heroin, meth, and alcohol addiction up to someone being anoxeric and how they're similar.
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A much needed voice
So good. This take is so refreshing after hearing the same thing for 8 years in recovery.
Top reviews from other countries
- Greg WhiteleyReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2024
Assistant Psychologist - Reading.
- niluferReviewed in the Netherlands on August 24, 2023
offers more than the biology of desire
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