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The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease Hardcover – Illustrated, July 14, 2015

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,073 ratings

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Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the "disease model" of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery.

The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease. But in
The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing.

Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief-in a world that's not cooperating. As a result, most treatment based on the disease model fails. Lewis shows how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery. This is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally.
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From the Publisher

Blurb from Library Journal for The Biology of Desire

Blurb from Tom Horvath, Ph.D. for The Biology of Desire

Blurb from Gabor Mat, M.D. for The Biology of Desire

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Lewis... a former addict who recovered to become a distinguished neuroscientist and author ... writes engagingly about the addictive experience, the recovery experience and the science behind them. Whether you are looking for a foundation in the neuroscience of addiction, guidelines for recovery or just hope that recovery is possible, it's all here. The scientific information is presented in the context of day-to-day behavior and the lives of individuals you will come to care about. You'll learn more about neuroscience (and human development and psychology) than you may have thought possible. Informed by this book, you'll see how neuroscience explains addiction as a part of life, rather than a mysterious entity only experts can understand.
Tom Horvath, Ph.D., President of ABPP, Practical Recover, and SMART Recovery and author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions

Marc Lewis's new book neatly links current thinking about addiction with neuroscience theory and artfully selected biographies. Ex-addicts, we learn, are not 'cured'; rather they have become more connected to others, wiser, and more in touch with their own humanity. This is a hopeful message that has, as Lewis demonstrates, the advantage of also being true.
Gene Heyman, author of Addiction: Disorder of Choice




The Biology of Desire says a lot about the brain mechanisms underpinning addiction but, to its credit, does not stop there. With minor exceptions, we do not help addicts (and they do not help themselves) by ministering directly to their brains. As Mr. Lewis stresses throughout this unorthodox but enlightening book, people learn to be addicts, and, with effort, they can learn not to be addicts, too.

Wall Street Journal

Informed by unparalleled neuroscientific insight and written with his usual flare, Marc Lewis's
The Biology of Desire effectively refutes the medical view of addiction as a primary brain disease. A bracing and informative corrective to the muddle that now characterizes public and professional discourse on this topic.
Gabor Mat, M.D., author of In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction

Neuroscientist Lewis delves into the functioning of the addicted brain. He intends to demonstrate that addiction (substance abuse but also behavioral addictions such as eating disorders, gambling, etc.) is not a disease....This objective is met by the detailed life stories of five recovering addicts the author has interviewed. Their descent into the grips of addiction reads like passages of a junkie's memoir: terrifying and page-turning.... [T]his work helps make sense of how addiction operates and is recommended for readers wanting to learn more on the topic.
Library Journal

About the Author

Marc Lewis, PhD, is a neuroscientist and professor of developmental psychology. Now at Radboud University in the Netherlands, he taught for more than twenty years at the University of Toronto. He has authored or coauthored more than fifty journal articles in neuroscience and developmental psychology. Presently, he speaks and blogs on topics in addiction science, and his critically acclaimed book, Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs, is the first to blend memoir and science in addiction studies.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1610394372
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs; Illustrated edition (July 14, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781610394376
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1610394376
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,073 ratings

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4.6 out of 5 stars
1,073 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and educational. They appreciate the new perspective on addiction and the precise neurological account of addiction. The writing style is clear, articulate, and easy to read. Readers describe the pacing as brilliant, timely, and urgent.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

53 customers mention "Thought provoking"50 positive3 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and educational. They say it has a fascinating perspective and provides hope for recovery. The book is well-argued, with a combination of case studies and neuroscience primers. Readers appreciate the accessible style and the theory laid out is accurate.

"...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..." Read more

"...that addiction is a learned behavior rather than a disease, Lewis presents detailed, understadable information about the workings of our brains,..." Read more

"This is a fascinating book. It's well-written, contemplative, and lacks any kind of blame or vitriol toward 12-step programs or the disease model...." Read more

"...While this book is written by a neurologist, using extensive neurological terminology, and describes the inner-workings of the "addicted..." Read more

39 customers mention "Addiction"32 positive7 negative

Customers find the book provides a new perspective on addiction. They appreciate the precise neurological account of addiction and its focus on individual lifespan-altering addiction. The book offers an argument for why addicts can recover and stay recovered. Readers find it easy to read and filled with hope.

"...This book helps the addict and the caregiver obtain insight to the rollercoaster of addiction. Well written. Hang in there and read the whole book...." Read more

"...Instead, he makes a cogent, and rather succinct, argument for why addicts can recover and stay recovered, how they can rewire their brain given the..." Read more

"...point about how self-awareness, identity, and belonging to a caring community contribute to recovery (a word, by the way, he doesn’t like)...." Read more

"...Cases presented in this book empowers the focus on individual lifespan altering addiction and offers an understanding of it's central message on the..." Read more

17 customers mention "Writing style"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's writing style clear, articulate, and easy to read. They appreciate the concise and understandable explanations of brain science for a wide audience. The author communicates effectively about what is going on in our heads.

"...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..." Read more

"...Well written. Hang in there and read the whole book. It starts slowly with neuro jargon that seams together as the book progresses." Read more

"...Instead, he makes a cogent, and rather succinct, argument for why addicts can recover and stay recovered, how they can rewire their brain given the..." Read more

"Easy read! Learned so much about how our thoughts and desires impact our health & wellness." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pacing engaging. They appreciate the cogent and succinct arguments.

"...Instead, he makes a cogent, and rather succinct, argument for why addicts can recover and stay recovered, how they can rewire their brain given the..." Read more

"Excellent, well-written book. I am a scinece buff. I love to udnerstand the scence behind things, espcially neuroscience." Read more

"This information is pure gold and diamonds..." Read more

"Brilliant, timely, urgent..." Read more

A much needed voice
5 out of 5 stars
A much needed voice
So good. This take is so refreshing after hearing the same thing for 8 years in recovery.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2016
    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.
    68 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015
    I have read Lewis' other book and follow his blog, and find his arguments among the most clear and comprehensive out there. He is not to be dismissed based on the title alone, which other reviewers seem wont to do. I'm giving this book 5 stars because it taught me things I did not know, despite having read hundreds if not thousands of peer-reviewed articles on drug use and addiction. Anything that makes me think differently about my own field of research deserves 5 stars.

    Lewis manages to synthesize a large body of literature that a layperson (which I am when it comes to the neurobiology of addiction) cannot do on one's own. I've always wished I could have a conversation with an addiction neuroscientist who had not blindly accepted the disease model, and that is essentially what this book is. However, his disagreements with others such as Nora Volkow are actually quite subtle and sophisticated, and I wonder if readers will miss the subtlety, chalking it up to mere semantics. For instance, “hijacking” of the brain’s natural reward system is the metaphor often used in the brain disease model, which some might argue is not that different from Lewis’ notion that addiction is an “accelerated” or “deep” form of the developmental learning our brains are meant to do. However, I think one crucial difference is he’s challenging the notion that the DRUG is the key point on which to intervene. The disease model needs a vector or pathogen, which the drug becomes, and this turns our attention away from what the person is experiencing and the meaning attached to that experience. Rather, Lewis argues, we have a natural motivation toward powerful emotional experiences, and drugs can provide a particularly powerful experience that we more quickly learn to seek out than other, less powerfully motivating experiences (nonlinear dynamics here being critical). Over time, people who are addicted (and not just to drugs) become trapped in the moment-to-moment experiences and disconnected from their past and future. The question becomes, how does the perspective change such that the meaning attached to the experience drugs provide is less powerful? (Understanding this also can help us to understand why most people who try drugs, even heroin, do NOT become addicted...for whatever reason the experience was not as powerful or as meaningful for them.)

    When we turn our attention away from the big, bad drug, it really does change how we intervene. In particular, we have a lot more to learn in exploring Lewis’ theories around ego fatigue, the addict’s perspective on time (linear v circular), and "social scaffolding." What might drain some people’s willpower more than other people’s? What are the effects of stress, inequality, oppression, and poverty on one’s ability to avoid ego fatigue, or on one’s ability to envision a better future? More importantly, what causes one to shift perspective, and can social scaffolding precipitate and not just take advantage of these shifts in perspective?
    141 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018
    Addiction has touched everyone, whether it is by a friend or relative. This book helps the addict and the caregiver obtain insight to the rollercoaster of addiction. Well written. Hang in there and read the whole book. It starts slowly with neuro jargon that seams together as the book progresses.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2023
    Along with a compelling argument for the idea that addiction is a learned behavior rather than a disease, Lewis presents detailed, understadable information about the workings of our brains, how we learn, and what motivates us to learn and grow, or to acquire sand get stuck in self destructive habits. Highly Interesting and a valuable resource for anyone trying to understand addiction and recovery.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Greg Whiteley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Assistant Psychologist - Reading.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2024
    Very insightful and thought provoking book, that brings into question the medical understanding of addiction. The book details neurological topics in a fairly easy to understand manner.
  • nilufer
    5.0 out of 5 stars offers more than the biology of desire
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 24, 2023
    Marc Lewis provides an all-around description to the workings of addictions and possible ways out by combining the biology with the social and pacyhological aspects of addiction
  • fernanda v.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Precise, helpful and inspiring
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 24, 2018
    Precise, helpful and inspiring for those who work and seek new approaches to support the development of treatments for those who are in need and desire of life at its fullest possible, their own singular way.
  • z-koko
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in France on November 3, 2019
    This book is extremely helpful in understanding how addiction functions in the brain. The personal narratives associated with the hard science made this book relatable, useful and a very nice read.
  • Merle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Germany on May 8, 2018
    There seems to be just one relevant mechanism inside our brains: learning and unlearning. This is a great book and it is providing insights far beyond addiction.