Unbroken Brain

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

More people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet. But despite the unprecedented attention, our understanding of addiction is trapped in unfounded 20th century ideas, addiction as a crime or as brain disease, and in equally outdated treatment.

Challenging both the idea of the addict's "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality," Unbroken Brain offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviors fall on a spectrum -- and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book illustrates how timing, history, family, peers, culture and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery- and why there is no "addictive personality" or single treatment that works for all.

Combining Maia Szalavitz's personal story with a distillation of more than 25 years of science and research, Unbroken Brain provides a paradigm-shifting approach to thinking about addiction.

CONTENTS


Author's Note ix

Introduction 1

1. Needle Point 9
2. A History of Addiction 20
3. The Nature of Addiction 32
4. Intense World 41
5. The Myth of the Addictive Personality 56
6. Labels 72
7. Hell Is Junior High School 84
8. Transitive Nightfall 94
9. On Dope and Dopamine 106
10. Set and Setting 121
11. Love and Addiction 138
12. Risky Business 155
13. Busted 167
14. The Problem with Bottom 174
15. Antisocial Behavior 191
16. The 12-Step Conundrum 207
17. Harm Reduction 224
18. The Kiwi Approach 243
19. Teaching Recovery 258
20. Neurodiversity and the Future of Addiction 272

Acknowledgments 287
Notes 289
Index 323