Breaking the Grip of Addiction

Drug addiction is a massive public health crisis. Current interventions, public policy, and untold millions of dollars in biomedical research are based on the assumption that addiction is a chronic disease like diabetes and schizophrenia. Does this model withstand scrutiny, or does it falter in the face of the best evidence? Has it served us well in responding to this public health crisis? What if the high failure rate of current interventions is due, at least in part, to wrong views about this malady-its cause and cure? Could some of our programs be making matters worse? What if many of our laws and regulations reflect errant notions of addiction and lead to more harm than good? Are we even willing to consider these possibilities?

         Breaking the Grip of Addiction provides a critical assessment of the validity of dominant views about and interventions for addiction. Through a concise and accessible analysis of current research, Dr. Craig Svensson addresses these critical questions about addiction:

      Do drugs have power over people?

      How do biological effects of drugs create addiction?

      Do people fall into addiction unexpectedly?

      Is addiction inherited?

      Do mental health disorders cause addiction?

      Are the brains of addicts different?

      Is addiction a lifelong affliction?

      What drives drug use?

      Do treatment programs work?

      Can we reward addicts as an incentive to quit using drugs?

      Do legal prohibitions work?

Breaking the Grip of Addiction provides answers to these and other essential questions. While revealing the errors of prevailing notions about addiction, Dr. Svensson also proposes an alternative understanding of and approach to this complex affliction that we call addiction.