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The Heart of Addiction

A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviors

ebook
4 of 4 copies available
4 of 4 copies available
A "revolutionary" look at how addictions work and how people can master their own addictive behaviors (Edward Hallowell, MD).
"In a field rife with misinformation, this book represents a bright beacon of light . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly." —The Psychoanalytic Quarterly
Nobody has had an answer for why people with addictions continue to repeat them—until now . . .
For more than twenty years, distinguished psychiatrist Dr. Lance Dodes has been successfully helping people master their addictions—alcoholism, compulsive gambling, smoking, sexual addiction, and more—with a radical approach. Dr. Dodes describes how all addictions have, at their heart, unrecognized emotional factors that explain:
  • Why we feel the impulse
  • Why we feel it when we do
  • What alternatives (really) work in that critical moment

  • In this refreshing book filled with compelling case studies, Dr. Dodes debunks several such widely accepted myths as:
  • Addictions are fundamentally a physical problem
  • People with addictions are different from other people
  • You have to hit bottom before you can get well
  • You are wasting your time if you ask "why" you have an addiction

  • "Destined to become a classic guide to understanding repetitive, excessive, and self-destructive behavior patterns. The illustrative cases are riveting, entertaining, and illuminating. This book marks a revolution in self-help. In fact, this book belongs on the shelf of every treatment professional facing patients with addictive behaviors." —Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS, Director, Division of Addictions, Harvard Medical School
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      • Publisher's Weekly

        February 4, 2002
        Dodes, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist who has been treating addicts for more than 20 years, makes a cogent case for a new way of looking at addictions. Rejecting many commonly held and rarely questioned beliefs about alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive gambling, sexual addictions and eating disorders, he clearly and convincingly explains the errors and limitations of these beliefs, based on firsthand experience. Dodes contends that traditional "one size fits all" treatment methods ignore the key element—or "heart"—of all "true addictions" (witness the low success rate of such programs). In a highly readable style, using many pertinent examples from his practice, he shows that the underlying psychological issue of addiction is always an overwhelming, intolerable feeling of helplessness or powerlessness. While the addictive act is clearly not the best choice for transforming the helpless feeling and providing empowerment, it is always a "displacement," or substitute, for another, more direct and constructive act that is for some reason prohibited. Dodes offers his particular style of psychotherapy to uncover the individual root of such helpless feelings and provide new choices for their reformation. He neglects to mention that insurance companies and government agencies often will not pay for the kind of long-term psychotherapy he recommends, but does suggest that readers can "gain control" over addictions on their own using his approach. Dodes offers an original voice to the recovery field and a fresh look at a formidable problem for individuals, families and society. Agent, John Ware. (Feb. 25)Forecast:A new take on a hot topic and the author's credentials make this a book to watch for news and public dialogue.

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    • Kindle Book
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    Languages

    • English

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