Addiction and Recovery For Dummies

Clear readable practical education and guidance on dealing with your or your loved one's addiction. Covers all the most important treatment approaches without moralizing and helps you choose what is most helpful or appropriate to your situation. I have already recommended to two patients who both found it tremendously helpful.

The title of this series always turns me off--so formulaic and usually simplistic. But this book is different! The format is simple and the material is presented in the clear, crisp and easily readable style typical of this series but this book is also truly wise, practical and compassionate in its approach. There is up-to-date information on medications, the physiology of addiction, treatments and groups that can offer support to the addicted person and plenty of practical advice for those on the sidelines (family, friends, spouses) who want to help but don't understand the problem. The book makes practical suggestions for treatments/groups that can help, how to deal with relapse cravings and moving forward in life without relying on an ultimately self-destructive habit. I have 30 years of experience as a therapist and this is one of the few selp-help books that I respect. I plan to give it to my clients and to recommend it to colleagues. Buy it---you won't be disappointed!

I can't recommend this book too highly. I have been working in this field for years and have searched for a book that would not turn off people struggling to come to terms with addictive problems. This book is easy to read, concise and presented in a manner that invites the reader to stay with the material. In addition to giving great information on the biology of addiction, it is full of excellent suggestions on how to practically go about attacking the problem. And it is optomistic! So important when someone feels overwhelmed by the problem and has struggled, often unsuccessfully, to change behaviors that are self-defeating. I would also advise relatives and friends of addictive persons to use this book to help them cope better with this issue and to find hope.

I've been waiting years for this book! As a physician I see many patients with addiction problems, yet I've never had a truly "user-friendly" book to recommend to the average reader. Now I do! This book is easy to read, it's concise, and it covers virtually all the important addiction topics in its well organized 20 chapters. The topics are covered in a sensitive, heart-felt manner while delivering critical information. It is obvious that Shaw, Ritvo, and Irvine know their topic and have empathy for clients and friends plagued by addictions. If you want to feel respected by the authors of the book you read, this is a good book. Even if you're struggling with an addiction, yourself, I can't imagine feeling 'talked down'. As they say, addiction can happen to anyone - no matter how strong or strong-minded.

Although "Dummy" books are generally of high calibre, Addiction and Recovery for Dummies is outstanding. As a professional who has studied the issues for 40 years, I found very little to argue with and I learned a very great deal about the subject from this scholarly, clinically insightful and caring presentation. The authors obviously both know their technical "stuff" and are clearly heartfelt and dedicated to helping people who are stuck with the misery of addiction and those caring people in their social worlds. I recommend this book for addicted people, for their friends and families, and for professionals who would like to clarify, organize and deepen their understanding of how to work with suffering people.