Addictions Books

This book is full of information and inspiration.Once you start reading it, you will not be able to put it down. The writing is excellent and the story enlightening.

The author brings you along on her profoundly compelling journey from dis-ease to healing. I could not set this book down; each page seemed to evoke questions and thoughts of my own journey. The reader is brought along as the author transcends through all emotions that must be experienced in order to grow. Being recently diagnosed with scleroderma, I found strength and encouragement, as well as insight into my own journey towards healing. I would highly recommend this to anyone seeking inspiration.

I picked up this book and it was hard to put it down. It was easy to read, inspirational, educational and heartwarming. I felt her pain and was amazed at how much she had endured and overcome. I was impressed with how she openly shared her life with honesty, humor and unrelenting passion. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs to be healed.

Great book !!!!! The author puts you in the middle of her story. You can fell her pain her joys sorrows victories and defeats. Easy to read and a source of encouragement for those who are going through any type of illness.

This was originally titled "The AA Way of Life", but was later changed because the book was the veiwpoint of only one man - Bill Wilson. There is a lot of plain basic common sense and wisdom in these snippets gleaned from years of Wilson's writings. It's not bad for use as a reflective reader for daily meditation/contemplation.

The book, "As Bill Sees It", delivers exactly what the title promises. This is a gleaning of the best thinking of the founder of AA. Whether you are well acquainted with AA literature, or simply a curious first time reader, this book is an excellent resource.

The text is a compilation from a variety of Bill W.'s works, including letters and talks given as well as selections from the "Big Book", AA's Bible. Each selection centers around a particular topic or theme, and is succinct and though-provoking. The exhaustive index is very helpful, and guides the reader to other works in which the subjects are covered in greater detail.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking, as well as to the family and friends of alcoholics who seek a greater understanding.

This book is crammed with powerful excerpts frpom all the great AA Literature throughout the years. I know that it has helped me many of days in my own recovery and Im positive youll want to have this at your side. Highly Recommended.

Nice solid companion reader. Its brief readings are good for the newcomer to help take the program's teachings in smaller bites.

Well worth adding to your library.

Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies at Penn State, is neither an anti-porn zealot nor an "anything goes" libertarian. He finds adult pornography tolerable, even believing that "The positive aspects of...legal adult material should be stressed." (p. 222). But he is clearly opposed to child pornography, believing that it should remain illegal and that we should take measures to reduce its existence to a tolerable level.

I was reminded of the war against agricultural pests because what Professor Jenkins stresses is that it is impossible to get rid of child porn on the Net completely without destroying much of what is good about the Net. In trying to completely kill all the pests, we may inadvertently kill all the beneficial insects as well.

This book is ostensibly about the "kiddie porn" culture on the Web, its extent and what can be done about it. Jenkins uses quotes from child porn Bulletin Boards to demonstrate the mind set of the traffickers. He describes a war between citizen vigilante groups and the child pornographers, each employing their hacker expertise in trying to shut down the Web sites and expose the identities of their adversaries. Jenkins does not describe child pornography other than in the most general terms. He claims not to have actually seen any child pornography himself, noting that it is illegal to view such material even for research purposes, and indeed intimates that had he seen such material he would deny having seen it.

The picture that emerges is of a deviant, global community populated by persons hiding behind nicknames and proxies who view and exchange pictures of children through sites and servers from many different places in the world. Jenkins believes that because of the differing laws in the various countries, child pornography cannot be completely eliminated, that it can only be controlled. He depicts the regular deviants themselves as savvy, elusive individuals who change identities and addresses as they stay one step ahead of the law. Only the amateurs get caught.

But there is a bigger issue here emerging out of the struggle between law enforcement and the deviants, and that is the issue of privacy. How can we simultaneously monitor the Web sufficiently to trap, expose and prosecute child pornographers while at the same time protecting ourselves from Big Brother?

Jenkins begins Chapter Six, "Policing the Net," with a revealing quote from Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, a man who ought to know what he is talking about: "You already have zero privacy--get over it." My feeling is that our government and the large corporations already have enough information about us to serve a totalitarian regime (should one ever emerge). Every key stroke on Web can be monitored, recorded and stored. Right now this information is being used mostly for commercial purposes, but we can see how such information could be used to influence, intimidate and control individuals for political purposes. Consequently what this book is really about is the war between the interests of society and those of the individual, the social good verses private interest.

This war is of course as old as humanity, going back even into the tribal culture. But never before has there been such power to coerce and persuade. The tribal leader may have been all powerful within his tribe, so that if you went against him, you would meet with defeat. But you could run away to another place in the world, as humans have always done. Today, and increasingly tomorrow, there is and will be no place to run to.

One of the fears we have of one-world government, now enormously augmented with electronic and computer technology, as Jenkins notes, is that of a totalitarian state from which there is no escape. Our fear is that we will conform to the dictates of that state or we will be punished and "retrained." The Orwellian nightmare in comparison seems limited and amateurish.

So the struggle against the very real and intolerable evil of child pornography becomes in this book a precursor scenario of the struggle of the state against the individual. What Jenkins wants to see happen is some kind of control placed on the invasive nature of the state while somehow maintaining the ability to go after anti-social deviants like the child pornographers. Somehow the state must be restrained but the bad guys controlled.

This is an excellent book. Jenkins provides you with a wealth of information. By conducting his own original research into the newsgroups he gains a first-hand insight into the thoughts and involvments of these individuals, something quite unique!

Why aren't more people familiar with this book? It reads like a great novel and is full distrubing news: child pornography is a real problem on the internet. The book describes the inflitration of the kiddie porn community on the net by Jenkins and how this underground group of many thousands exhange images of child sex abuse. He writes very clearly about the recent history of child pornography and its explosive growth since the advent of the internet.

Some sociologists believe that child pornography is almost non-existent, a problem that was rooted out in the late 60's and 70's. Jenkins shatters this misconception and sheds some light on a very dark, very sick corner of the international underground.

Jenkins tackles a very difficult subject in a very professional manner. As Dennis Littrell suggested, Jenkins realizes that the 'trap the end user' approach will never even slow down the growth of this disturbing industry, and some of the more Draconian measures being suggested in some circles would only damage the freedom to surf of normal everyday users.

One point that many people might be unaware of is the fact that child pornography often involves children under five, as Jenkins suggests. Clearly this flies in the face of 'normal' sexual and reproductive urges, whereby males are only supposed to respond to females who are in the throes of puberty and beyond.

While it is certainly true to say that mere child nudity does not equate to child pornography, a common tactic of borderline sites is to place 'trigger' pictures in with legitimate 'lolita-esque' nude photos, which then lead to screens or sites that appear to offer a portal to an actual child pornography site, rather than plunging people straight into one.

The problem with writing books of this nature is that the Law is often in a state of flux. One of biggest 'gray' areas in terms of legality is the use of artificially generated/cgi child pornography. The 'pro' arguments suggest that as no children are being harmed or exploited, it doesn't qualify as child pornography. The 'contra' arguments suggest that it still involves images of adults having sex with children. At the time of writing this review, I believe it is still techincally legal.

Some years ago, a man was arrested for some sketches he made of naked adults and children embracing, without any specific suggestion of sexual contact. The counter argument to the prosecution stance made the point that drawing a sexual fantasy (or now, creating it with a computer graphics package) rather than merely thinking the same thoughts, should not be illegal, unless any attempt was being made to circulate it/them. The point being that this transition from a thought image to a cgi image, borders on the question of the Thought Crime of George Orwell's 1984, and the Inquisition logic of 'If she floats she's a witch and if she drowns, she's innocent'.

Jenkins has some solid ideas, such as monitoring message boards and the infrastructure by which the sub-net is able to operate, rather than setting up fake sites to lure in Joe Idiot who's just had a few beers, and thinking that such actions will ever impact the industry.

One of the biggest factors in the quantum growth of the 'CP' industry is the availability of white, Eastern European child victims. Previously, white children were never available in such numbers, which seems to have been a natural limiter on certain areas of this darkest of growth industries.

Sadly, where ever there is poverty, there will always be exploitation, and the online CP industry is just one part of a bigger picture - of a World and a people gone wrong, and the failure of the human race to love each other in the face of all our differences.

Yes, read this and be concerned about the sexual exploitation of children, but never forget that the greater obscenity is that 34,000 children DIE every day throughout the same world in which some rich people have gold-plated bath taps.

This book is right on the money. I was growing so tired of telling psych professionals, "no....my daughter is not bi-polar". Now I know that they are scared of the taboo of BPD. Now I know how my daughters thoughts and emotions work. Now I know that other people have it harder than I do, SO FAR. This book opened my eyes to a lot. I don't know yet if it will help my little girl, but it has already helped me.

Finding any valid information on BPD in adolescents is close to impossible. We have a 15-yo daughter in a therapeutic boarding school after trying every outpatient treatment available. While our daughter has not engaged in any serious external behaviors, she has lived the last years in a constant state of dysphoria and wild attention-seeking schemes. She's was diagnosed with bi-polar w/psychosis when she was 12 and has since been diagnosed w/BPD as well. Dr. Aguierre's experience in treating adolescents w/BPD provides not only a valid perspective, it also gives very practical advise. This is a must read book!

As a child psychologist, I get very tired of the neo-Freudian mumbo-jumbo that is often associated with this diagnosis. Not only is such an approach not not very effective, but you have to buy all sorts of (ahem) crapola to even start in on it.

This book is a real relief. When I got it I assumed it was just more Freudian malarky, but it isn't. Very CBT and DBT oriented, at least in practice, and I highly recommend it.

First, I am NOT advising anyone to replace any treatment with this book.

I'd simply like to guide parents who, like us, may have been chasing their tails in search of a proper diagnosis and treatment for your teen to this new source of help and hope. Unlike many mental health care professionals, Dr. Aguirre truly attempts to understand the BPD teen and their families, rather than label and medicate.

Last year we spent over 18K on treatment for depression, bipolar and/or PTSD, all the while knowing BPD was her afflication (family history). Only to have our asthmatic honor student move in with the boyfriend, drop out of school, start smoking and get 3 tatoos - last month.

Reading this book has changed our lives in a matter of days. Dr. Aguirre really 'gets it'
and once I was able to speak that understanding truth with my BPD teen - she lit up! She is impressed with his knowledge of BPD depression sometimes not being anything like classical depression. She says her lows are due to feelings of shame and guilt, "I never have a I can't get outta bed sadness." She also agreed that while she is able to pass advanced English courses and write beautiful stories, she lacks the ability to express her feelings. It felt so good to she her finally feel understood.

I know that we still have a long way to go and lots more work to do but this book gave me hope that we are finally headed in the right direction.

Thanks Dr. Aguirre!!!

This is a book that captured my attention and interest right away. Its foreword is by Ozzie Lepper, the Christian AA who restored the Wilson House where Bill Wilson was born, restored the Griffith Library where Wilson was raised, and then peopled these places with historical conferences, books, resources, and friendship. Ozzie wrote that his heart soared when he read what was still possible. He immediately started having old-time morning quiet time meetings at the Wilson House. And this book quickly became an inspiring guide for me, for AAs, and for those who wanted to form groups like early A.A., study the Bible, learn about A.A., find out about the Twelve Step sources, and have a workbook to help them all the way. Like all of Dick's books, this is one of a kind. You won't find this material in Christian bookstores--though you ought to be able to do so. You won't find it is treatment or recovery store libraries--though you should be able to. And you won't find very many recovering people using it. YET! But the more Christians and others learn about early A.A., the more they want to utilize its programs and principles today. This is a book I recommend for just those purposes.

The grief implicit in alcoholism and other addictions is treated gently in this look at how God/Christianity influenced the A.A. Groups of the past, and continues to do so today. This is an honest, clear-headed, and carefully researched book well worth reading. I loved this book from page one!

Two reviewers have already praised both the purpose and content of Dick's book on the power of God and how groups can once again tap into that power despite A.A.'s ever-increasing drift toward idolatry, nameless spirituality, and absurd names for a deity. When this book was first written, it was used to encourage and help people get started studying healing by divine means, and studying it within the 12 Step Fellowship ranks--just as the early AAs did. Since that time, more and more books have been coming out with specific references to the importance of reliance on God, Bible study and prayer--within the fellowships themselves. This book turns us back to the close of Dick's initial research on A.A.'s Biblical roots and history and his decision to write materials on how to use the history in one's own program, in groups and meetings, in study fellowships, and in teachings. Its value grows as the interest in help from God is beginning to resurface in recovery. Note how many treatment programs are now incorporating "Christian Track" segments. And if they add A.A.'s own Christian history to these Christian Tracks, they can produce winning results with Dick's book as one of their guides.

Dick B. has performed a great service in writing this guide to early A.A. Groups and conducting similar groups today. He puts in print what many of us have recognised as the biblical and Christian roots in the 12 Steps and the Serenity Prayer. He shows how the early meetings were conducted and gives guidance for conducting similar meetings today; such as Serenity Groups.

Of special note is the MUST emphasis that early AA members placed on maintaining a daily Quiet Time. When I wrote the book _Prayer Steps to Serenity_, I very consciously took the same approach of early AA by writing daily devotions and prayers that encourage readers to keep on praying and take time to Listen To God. As I wrote in _Prayer Steps to Serenity,_ "During your Quiet Time...pray for God's guidance and power to help you that day and in the coming days. Write your own devotional on the Step, and perhaps share it in your next group meeting or with your friends." Dick indicates that Anne Smith, Dr. Bob's wife, did this in her Journal, which she shared with others in AA meetings.

Dick B. emphasizes that those in early AA recovered from alcoholism and other addictions by the power of God. So can we, no matter what our addiction or compulsion. Dick's book, _By the Power of God_, gives us many good reasons to read good devotional books and spend time in prayer! Thanks, Dick, for a great job and for all the other AA books that you have written too! I am highly recommending your book to everyone!

Thanks for Reading!
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.
Author: Prayer Steps to Serenity the Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition ISBN: 0977805387
PrayerSteps.org

Ceremonial Uses of the drugs is maybe what the addict is doing; instead of analysing the pharmacological effects of the drugs, the author describes in the pages of this book how were labeled certain kind of drugs as "dangerous" by politicians and physicians around the times, and how they use these labels for discourage the use of "certain ones" and encourage the use of "another ones" under medical treatment.



As water that can " healing " powers and water that does not have " healing " powers, Psychiatric drugs and alcohol can be quit off by the user according with the relationship he or she has with these drugs.



Drugs can be addictive or non addictive as water is, as the user believes how difficult or easy is to break with the habit in regard of his-her ritual use rather than in the chemical properties of drugs.



Dr. Szasz writes about the ways physicians and politicians use to threat the persons around the times for to promote, encourage the use of, and forbidden drugs in order to maintain the concept of addiction and psychiatric (drug ) slavery.

Explains what the war on drugs is really about - and it's not drugs. Highly educational, trancends our brainwashing.

great oppinions. easy to read. very inciteful. must have!...

An excellent analysis of the institutionalized and state-sponsored persecution of certain rule-breaking behaviour (illicit drug use)and the similarities between cultural and religious demands for specific mood-altering ceremonies and substances. This was the first book by Szasz that I read and I was impressed by depth of his philosophical and medical understanding of human behaviour. After reading this book I purchased, read and re-read the Myth of Mental Illness within 24 hours. Although Cermonial Chemistry was a delight to read, I think the Myth of Mental Illness is a timeless read and a comprehensive, logical and linguistic torpedo aimed squarley at an institutionalized war against human responsibility and the deep suspicion of the state against those who question through behaviour or language the role of the state in prescribing the rules of human conduct. Ceremonial Chemistry is an important book and a cornerstone in the debate on the inevitable de-criminalization of illicit drugs or the continued illegalization of certain foods and plants.

Hello, I just unpacked my copy today and I'm already hooked, ironically enough.

Great book. I'd highly recommend it!

This is an extremely valuable book which provides something not many other sources can: an unbiased, scientifically grounded analysis of psychoactives which also includes realistic cultural context, fascinating history, a sense of whimsy, and subjective descriptions of effects. This makes it of use to all kinds of people: those interested in psychopharmacology, drug therapy for mental illness, ritualistic and spiritual drug use, the mechanisms of the brain, safe and informed recreational drug use, and simply being informed about a broad and complicated social reality.

The book spends about equal time on the mechanism of action and chemical structure of the substances described, and the various uses to which they have been put throughout global human history. In these descriptions, it thoroughly cites studies and explains why said studies are the most useful, making it rather unbiased. That said, it is occasionally critical of drug laws, though any objective analysis is likely to come to the same conclusion, and included are very subjective quotations, though these are never stated as fact and give the book a page-turning, fascinating sense of narrative unexpected from a textbook. Overall, the work's scientific rigor is unquestionable and unlikely to meet critique but from opponents of drug use so strong in their fervor that they would deny objective truth.

Having been last updated in 1996, there are a few missing pieces of information regarding current drugs of abuse. For example, dextromethorphan is mentioned, but in very little detail compared to it's fairly widespread use in the current underground drug culture (and it is categorized mysteriously in the opioid section, despite being fairly well-recognized as a ketamine-like dissociative at higher doses). Another curious omission is Salvia divinorum, not recreationally popular until about the time of publication, but having been in shamanic use in Mexico for a very long time, and written about in scholarly literature as early as the 1960s. One other drawback for certain uses is that this is not a practical handbook: there is not much in the way of dosage information, and durations when present are a bit buried in the text rather than presented up-front. Luckily, the book, as stated earlier, is very well-referenced, and exploration of the works of cited authors/researchers (Huxley, Hoffman, Shulgin, et al) will provide far more depth into many of these areas. Hopefully future editions will be updated to include these and any other important omissions.

This book has it all, chemistry, cultural context, use, abuse, past, present and future. Is geared toward someone who has at least taken some o-chem, although non-science types could still get something out of it. The synthesis explanations can be a bit in depth, I have a degree in chemistry and a bit of that was way over my head. Book is also well refrenced, so should you ever get the urge to make some of these drugs you know where to go.

While I would not say that the merit of the book lies in its non-committal stance, I was certainly convinced that the author knew his chemistry. My reading was facilitated by the poetic interludes and anecdotes, which seem to have become a genre within science writing. Mr. Perrine should write another book, non-technical, and I am sure he will be as entertaining and informative. Inspired by his book I have released my newsletter with this theme this time.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the book is mind-altering itself. It changed the way I looked at my erstwhile indulgences.

This book offered an insite into the why of addiction. It also offered steps to stay on the path of being drug free, and how to avoid the pit falls of using drugs again. To be honest with ones self-evaluation and to understand the long range effects of using Cocaine is also discussed in this book. An Extemely benificial read.

Written in '89, this book is as current as can be. Extremely helpful, specially for family of addicts. Very clearly and to the point, it covers all the facts; onset of desease, progression, treatment and most important relapse prevention. A must read if someone you love is cocaine dependent. What an eye opener! Highly recomended.

When my husband entered rehab for cocaine addiction several weeks ago, I knew nothing about this drug, and why it had such a hold on him. After reading this book, I feel like I can understand where he is at, and how to deal with it. As someone said before it contains priceless information. I thank God I was able to find this book. I highly recommend it to addicts, family members, and professionals wanting to learn everything about cocaine addiction.

As someone who has suffered with an addict for years, and who also plans to eventually practice in the field of addiction and recovery, I found this book to contain a wealth of priceless information. It provided incredible insight into the mind of the addict which will be useful to the addict himself, to family and friends, as well as to the treatment professional. A must read for anyone touched by the pain of addiction.

Just when you thought literary crit. was doomed to its staid exsistence, Ronell arrives on the scene. A critic (whose name escapes me) once said that while we can pick up a book, books can throw us across the room. I'm still recovering from the flight and trip this little book sent me on...

This book is revolutionary. If you've ever wondered what an artist (Avital Ronnell is a former performance artist) might be capable of coming up with if they became an academic (a professor) but were still devoted to the idea of performance, this is the answer. Think Kitaj and how his paintings is a form of interpretation of other artists' work in referencing them in the theme of his own work. In other words, Avital Ronnel's "Crack Wars" and its "analysis" of Madame Bovary is possible because it is from a field of study that is unique in that it is devoted to the study of an artform (literary arts) while itself operating in the same medium as that artform (words). The creativity exhibited in "Crack Wars", which is its most powerful proposition, shows that an interpretive "analysis" can be offered on a work of art ("Madame Bovery") without even wanting to answer the question, "What does is mean?". Much of the creative thrust seems to come from the way in which Ronnell re-metaphorizes certain elements or metaphors related to (current) drug use and applies them in the exploration of other facets of society that alters or simulates (ex. taking a "hit" or "scoring" of literature). What this does is to expand the reading of "Madame Bovery" to a whole crop of metaphors and their current exploration whose consideration in language may not have been in circulation at the time of its writing. And though this work may be on the edge of "literary studies", Ronnell is by no means a marginal figure. As head of NYU's dept of Germanic Languages, Ronnell co-lectured a graduate seminar last fall with Derrida (she is in the "Derrida" documentary with multi-colored bobby-pins relaying an interaction with Derrida's mother). Consider the language of the extensive quote below.

"Madame Bovary I daresay is about bad drugs. Equally, it is about thinking we have properly understood them. But if the novel matches its reputation for rendering its epoch- our modernity - intelligible, then we would do well to recall that epoch also means interruption, arrest, suspension and, above all, suspension of judgement. Madame Bovary travels the razor's edge of understanding/reading protocols. In this context understanding is given as something that happens when you are no longer reading. It is not the open-ended Nietzschean echo, "Have I been understood?" but rather the "I understand" that means you have suspended judgement over a chasm of the real. Out of this collapse of judgement no genuine decision can be allowed to emerge. Madame Bovary understood too much; she understood what things were supposed to be like and suffered a series of ethical injuries for this certitude. Her understanding made her legislate closure at every step of the way. She was her own police force, finally turning herself in to the authorities. She understood when the time had come to an end [...] for Madame Bovary opens herself to an altogether different history of intelligibility, in fact, to another suicide pact, cosigned by a world that longer limits its rotting to a singular locality of the unjust."

Ronell's book is a tour-de-force on many levels: for its lucid and startling close-reading of -Madame Bovary-, for the densely glittering energy (and humor) of her prose, and above all for its insight -- never before so comprehensively and convincingly argued -- into addiction as a symptomatic structure of the modern condition. (The addict, she points out, embodies a peculiar challenge for thinking about the inside/outside, mind/body relation. Emma Bovary takes us farther into questions of expenditure and circulation.) This is a must-read not only for those interested in Flaubert's novel, but in the history of subjectivity more generally. Even in its craziest moments, the book is provocative and perceptive.

Avital Ronell examines drugs addiction & mania in this amazingly well written and concisely beautiful book. A book-as-object, containing installations, special sections and poetic-philosophic passages, Crack Wars is sure to please the patient reader. Draws from Flaubert, Heidegger and Derrida...contends that this "culture inspires and supports destructive play only to punish it." A must read!

Jennifer Su has a journalism degree from the Northwest University. All stories and persons are real. However, Su is such a good author that you may enjoy DWW just like reading a novel. One critic, that she makes all Taiwanese men, count me one, look bad.

The weaving of three women's true stories was a captivating read. Each story held me riveted to the many pages until I read the last word of the book. Creating a legend of important details of each life will help the reader keep each woman's story straight.

As stated in the title, "these women seemed beyond hope," BUT.... for a power stronger than addictions and idol worship to reach down into these tangled lives...a must read!

Know that these women live. Their stories are true. The author has lived among them, getting to know them well. The book could be labeled a documentary of hope.

As someone who has been living and working in Taiwan for almost 20 years I wish this book had been written 20 years ago. It has given me a fresh understanding of the lives and struggles of many people around me. A Taiwanese Canadian friend who recently read Dead Women Walking wrote to me saying, "Reading the stories, I started relating to a lot of the social issues found in Taiwanese families." The stories related in DWW are real stories about real people, presented powerfully with often heart-wrenching honesty. Eye-opening, challenging, and highly recommended!

It's an engaging story that shows the challenges of Taiwan when the ancient meets the modern. The traditions of idol worship pervade the stories, leading to addictions, drug abuse, spousal abuse and all sorts of problems. Combine that with a modern, developing society and you have a unreached mission field. This book is well written and will challenge you to consider praying for and evening going to Taiwan. A must read!!!