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erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
This was definitely one of the hardest books I've read this year, not because it was badly written but because the subject matter was very personal and not at all comforting like I hoped it would be. I'm not going to go into details in this book review but those of you who know me, know why I find this subject hard. It's something that I never would have guessed would affect me or anyone I care about, but who am I kidding, this is the 21st century. Addiction is more prevalent then ever.
Prior to this book, I knew the concept behind addiction and thought I had it all figured out. Basically after reading this, I realized I know nothing on this subject. In my head, addicts were selfish people who didn't know when enough was enough and tore their family and friends lives to pieces in their selfish downward spiral. Clearly, I have a very old fashioned way of thinking, I had never once considered addiction a "real" disease.
Author, David Sheff, does a marvelous job of outlining addiction (why we use, the disease, drugs and alcohol in our culture, etc.), and ways to get addicts clean (he describes dozens of different treatments, not everyone can get clean the same way) and stay clean. David has a lot of experience dealing with addiction, his son Nic spent years addicted to hard drugs and later wrote the book, "Tweak." David Sheff outlines the struggles of dealing with addiction as a family in his first book, "Beautiful Boy" ("Clean" is his second novel).
Some interesting facts and tidbits that I took away from this book:
1. Comparing money spent on cancer and AIDS research as compared with addiction research = "the total spent on AIDS is $3 billion - or $3,000 per infected person. We spend $29 per addict." (page 290)
2. "In Vancouver, at a supervised injection site called, Insite, drug users are given not only clean needles but a safe place to shoot up and stay while they're high... A series of studies has shown that Insite is effective at getting addicts into treatment, lowering crime in the neighborhood, and reducing the number of overdoses and illnesses from drug use." (page 302)
3. In Portugal the government decriminalized the possession and use of all drugs - not only marijuana but heroin, cocaine, and the rest. Drugs are still illegal, but users caught with small quantities aren't sent to jail. Instead they face a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker, and legal adviser who recommend appropriate treatment... A study found that five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens had declined, rates of new HIV infections had dropped and the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction had more than doubled. Prior to the change in policy, Portugal had one of the highest rates of drug use in Europe, afterward, it had one of the lowest." (pages 303-304)
4. "A majority of patients who enter treatment never complete it. Among those who do, 40 to 86 percent relapse in the first year." (page 17)
5. "The stigma associated with drug use - the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full blown addiction are weak, degenerate, and pathetic - has contributed to the escalation of use and has hampered treatment more than any single other factor."(page 25)
6. Addiction IS a disease. " A disease is "an interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body, system, or organ structure or function," according to "Stedman's Medical Dictionary. It's "a morbid entity ordinarily characterized by two or more of the following criteria: recognized etiologic agents, identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations." Addiction fits every one of these criteria." (page 89) Addicts aren't weak, selfish, or amoral - they're ill.
7. "Researchers have found that if a person makes it to two years [being sober], his likelihood of relapse diminishes dramatically, and after five years, most addicts will continue to stay sober." (page 266)
Sorry I got a little wordy on the statistics, but those are only just a handful of what you can discover in this book, I learned soo much. I learned how complex addiction is and how hard it is to treat. This is an absolute MUST read, a real eye opener, and very present in our society as we reflect on the United States failed drug war.
Prior to this book, I knew the concept behind addiction and thought I had it all figured out. Basically after reading this, I realized I know nothing on this subject. In my head, addicts were selfish people who didn't know when enough was enough and tore their family and friends lives to pieces in their selfish downward spiral. Clearly, I have a very old fashioned way of thinking, I had never once considered addiction a "real" disease.
Author, David Sheff, does a marvelous job of outlining addiction (why we use, the disease, drugs and alcohol in our culture, etc.), and ways to get addicts clean (he describes dozens of different treatments, not everyone can get clean the same way) and stay clean. David has a lot of experience dealing with addiction, his son Nic spent years addicted to hard drugs and later wrote the book, "Tweak." David Sheff outlines the struggles of dealing with addiction as a family in his first book, "Beautiful Boy" ("Clean" is his second novel).
Some interesting facts and tidbits that I took away from this book:
1. Comparing money spent on cancer and AIDS research as compared with addiction research = "the total spent on AIDS is $3 billion - or $3,000 per infected person. We spend $29 per addict." (page 290)
2. "In Vancouver, at a supervised injection site called, Insite, drug users are given not only clean needles but a safe place to shoot up and stay while they're high... A series of studies has shown that Insite is effective at getting addicts into treatment, lowering crime in the neighborhood, and reducing the number of overdoses and illnesses from drug use." (page 302)
3. In Portugal the government decriminalized the possession and use of all drugs - not only marijuana but heroin, cocaine, and the rest. Drugs are still illegal, but users caught with small quantities aren't sent to jail. Instead they face a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker, and legal adviser who recommend appropriate treatment... A study found that five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens had declined, rates of new HIV infections had dropped and the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction had more than doubled. Prior to the change in policy, Portugal had one of the highest rates of drug use in Europe, afterward, it had one of the lowest." (pages 303-304)
4. "A majority of patients who enter treatment never complete it. Among those who do, 40 to 86 percent relapse in the first year." (page 17)
5. "The stigma associated with drug use - the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full blown addiction are weak, degenerate, and pathetic - has contributed to the escalation of use and has hampered treatment more than any single other factor."(page 25)
6. Addiction IS a disease. " A disease is "an interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body, system, or organ structure or function," according to "Stedman's Medical Dictionary. It's "a morbid entity ordinarily characterized by two or more of the following criteria: recognized etiologic agents, identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations." Addiction fits every one of these criteria." (page 89) Addicts aren't weak, selfish, or amoral - they're ill.
7. "Researchers have found that if a person makes it to two years [being sober], his likelihood of relapse diminishes dramatically, and after five years, most addicts will continue to stay sober." (page 266)
Sorry I got a little wordy on the statistics, but those are only just a handful of what you can discover in this book, I learned soo much. I learned how complex addiction is and how hard it is to treat. This is an absolute MUST read, a real eye opener, and very present in our society as we reflect on the United States failed drug war.
sarabchard's review against another edition
4.0
This book was written in 2012, so it doesn’t have any brand new information in it. The author is both a writer / reporter and the father of an addict who has been there, done that and therefore cares deeply about the material.
While I didn’t find new information, this book has information that I found in many other books all in one place, well organized and easy to read. If I was just learning about this subject matter, this is the 1st book I would pick. It covers all of the necessary information: prevention, addiction, treatment, the way we are currently handling addicts and ways we may want to follow other countries examples.
While I didn’t find new information, this book has information that I found in many other books all in one place, well organized and easy to read. If I was just learning about this subject matter, this is the 1st book I would pick. It covers all of the necessary information: prevention, addiction, treatment, the way we are currently handling addicts and ways we may want to follow other countries examples.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
When I was about two years clean, I was losing my mind and about ready to relapse. After getting sober in 12-step programs, I couldn’t understand why I was “different” and needed answers. So, I looked up books on the science of addiction, and just happened to stumble across this book, and it may have saved my life. This book educated me about the causes of addiction that include biology, psychology, and environment, and it also goes through just about every form of treatment and intervention strategy you can imagine. The book is from 2014, and we’re constantly learning more about effective addiction treatment methods as well as the science of addiction, but I really think that this book is a great place to start if you want an amazing book on this topic.
bookishadvocate's review against another edition
4.0
Great read, but I have one issue.
I'm an addict, 5 years clean this month. I read this book because I want to be a voice for other addicts. I live in Southwest Florida, and they don't take kindly to us down here. Things need to change, and I'm ready to make that happen.
This book is exactly what I needed to read when I started doing drugs at 13. It's a shame everyone doesn't view addicts like this David. He offers some excellent insight into our disease, and I learned a lot. However, I disagree with his stance on cannabis.
I never went to treatment. I was given an intervention once a few years in, but it never lead to it. I was forced to go to one NA meeting by my roommate and good friend, but I was high when I went and never returned. There's more to this story but I'll get to the point.
I didn't care about cannabis growing up, ecstasy was my gateway drug. I believed the hype about cannabis being the worst thing in the world. I smoked here and there but it was never my thing, until my husband came along. He opened my eyes to the truth.
This plant saved my life, along with a lot of love. I agree with the author that we need more research, but we also need to research cannabis FOR addiction. It gives me what the drugs gave me without ruining my life. I've become a completely different person.
I would love to talk to the author more about this topic. I highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from addiction, friends or family of addicts, or anyone curious about it. It's very insightful. It should also be required reading for anyone in the field.
I'm an addict, 5 years clean this month. I read this book because I want to be a voice for other addicts. I live in Southwest Florida, and they don't take kindly to us down here. Things need to change, and I'm ready to make that happen.
This book is exactly what I needed to read when I started doing drugs at 13. It's a shame everyone doesn't view addicts like this David. He offers some excellent insight into our disease, and I learned a lot. However, I disagree with his stance on cannabis.
I never went to treatment. I was given an intervention once a few years in, but it never lead to it. I was forced to go to one NA meeting by my roommate and good friend, but I was high when I went and never returned. There's more to this story but I'll get to the point.
I didn't care about cannabis growing up, ecstasy was my gateway drug. I believed the hype about cannabis being the worst thing in the world. I smoked here and there but it was never my thing, until my husband came along. He opened my eyes to the truth.
This plant saved my life, along with a lot of love. I agree with the author that we need more research, but we also need to research cannabis FOR addiction. It gives me what the drugs gave me without ruining my life. I've become a completely different person.
I would love to talk to the author more about this topic. I highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from addiction, friends or family of addicts, or anyone curious about it. It's very insightful. It should also be required reading for anyone in the field.
iamericat22's review against another edition
4.0
Very informative, solid information. The science of addiction and recovery is 40 years behind where it could be, and Sheff makes this clear with facts and the stories of those affected by addiction: pretty much all of us in one form or another as taxpayers, family members, friends, and ultimately humans prone to this chronic illness.
islandewert's review against another edition
3.0
This book did a great job of getting me to think about addiction treatment programs differently. It was a little too preachy at times. While it obviously takes a hard stance against any and all drugs, it came off a bit one sided because some drugs can be used in controlled environments for positive outcomes, not just addiction. Well done and interesting!
sarajean37's review against another edition
4.0
I personally did not find this a four-star worthy book; however, if I were the book's intended audience, I am sure I would. Less the scientific explanation of new addiction research that i was expecting and more an extended vocabulary primer with helpful hints, this is ideal for the parent of a child with a drug problem. It was slightly disorganized but I am sure that is par for the course for a parent or loved one. Overall an interesting book but more interesting for others than for me.
morgan_blackledge's review against another edition
4.0
Brave. Factual. Crucial reading for anyone who is curious about, or in some way effected by addiction. This is the book on substance dependence that needed to get written. Its going to do a lot of people, a lot of good!
khoerner7's review against another edition
3.0
Well researched and well written analysis of the best methods to prevent and treat addiction. Lots of great ideas for how current methods could be improved and addicts treated more compassionately.