Overcoming Addiction: Seven Imperfect Solutions and the End of America's Greatest Epidemic

With an estimated 20 million people addicted to drugs or alcohol, North America is in the grip of an unrivaled epidemic. Overcoming Addiction reveals how seemingly contradictory treatment theories must come together to understand and end dangerous substance abuse. Addiction treatment has become a billion-dollar industry based on innumerable clinical and psychological perspectives. Zealous clinicians and researchers have gathered around the theories, proclaiming each as the sole truth and excluding alternate views. In this book, leading bioethicist Gregory Pence demystifies seven foundational theories of addiction and addiction treatment. From Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous to methadone clinics and brain chemistry studies, each method holds foundation beliefs about human nature, free will, and biology. Understanding the diversity of these theories allows us to build a framework for more effective treatment for all addiction types. For individuals suffering from addiction, their families, and those who devote their lives to ending addiction's grasp on our society, this book offers a fresh perspective and a framework for long-term solutions.

Author: Gregory E. Pence
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 02/19/2020
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781538135037


Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2021

About the Author
Gregory E. Pence is known as the founder of bioethics, having studied applied ethics with famous ethicist Peter Singer at NYU and written the leading textbook in the field, now in its 27th year and 8th edition. In 2000 he testified against bills to criminalize cloning before Congress and before the California Senate. He then defended cloning on national television on the CBS Morning Show, Talk Back with Gretta Van Susteren, and CNN News with Wolf Blitzer. He has published over seventy op-ed essays including ones in Newsweek, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Wall Street Journal. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.