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Summary: A thought--provoking and important presentation of ideas
Review: As a licensed social worker and certified substance abuse counselor, I found the author's presentation intriguing--for both professional mental health providers and for those struggling with issues of addiction. He makes the case for more individualized treatment, especially the integration of past history with present issues. (In other words, WHY does the addict want to use WHEN he/she does?) According to the author, addiction is a personal and unique response to learned helplessness.) His conceptualization of addiction is one I'd like to see offered as an option to consider for all people seeking treatment for addiction, especially those who struggle with maintaining sobriety and feel stuck in the revolving door.That said, his limitation is derived from his strength; he focuses solely on the individual. Unfortunately, he does not address what I see as an equally important consideration, the individual in the environment. Addiction will remain such an attractive alternative, especially to our youth, as long as we focus only on negative behaviors such as addctions, and neglect to provide ready access to programs that develop competencies in a wide range, good community recreational programs, and options for training and jobs. The case history presentation makes for easy reading. The author's credentials and experience merit consideration from a wide range of readers.
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Summary: The debate rages on....
Review: Dodes identifies the feeling of helplessness in the addict as the stimulator of the addictive event, or relapse. It is very interesting that he disrespects the idea of powerlessness over the addicting element, as found in 12-Step philosophy. He places most addictions firmly in his patients' minds- his 12 Step nemesis says the sick mind is a good place to stay out of.
As has been typical of authors critical of the 12 Step program, Dodes picks on it at points that are not defended. Most 12 Step approaches require that an addict want to stay sober more than to be addicted, which screens out those who are unwilling to be relieved of their addictions. His approach seems to be to talk his patients into that attitude. He caters to those who seem to want undivided attention before they will take steps in their own behalf. This is how he makes his living.
By the time the reader makes it to the last chapter to discover Dodes' solution to the addiction problem, he will have the sneaking suspicion that there is nothing novel to be learned. And he will be right. Dodes recommends psychotherapy to rid the patient of his past demons, to understand his addiction, and to lose that feeling of helplessness. Does this deserve an entire book? 12-Step programs, which ask an optional [money] donation, provide experience, strength, and hope. But you have to be willing.
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Summary: What's True for Addiction is Also True for Depression
Review: Excellent book for addiction. What the general public doesn't acknowledge and what the pharmaceutical companies and mental health advocates never mention is something that has long been known to psychotherapists. The supposedly helpless victim is always the one in charge, even of their own helplessness. Dr. Dodes research and experience in the cure of addiction mirrors my own research and experience, as a board-certified cognitive behavioral therapist, in the cure of depression. A. B. Curtiss, author of DEPRESSION IS A CHOICE.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: For 20 years I was addicted to caffeine, abusing it day in and day out. Planning my life around my morning espresso shots on an empty stomach. I believed that I was physically addicted and there was no way out. Then at the age of 38 I was diagnosed with adrenal stress, spine problems and severe dehydration. The gig was up, I had to kick the habit. With the help of this book, which I found totally by chance in the bookstore, I was able to grasp why my psychological addiction to caffeine was as important as my physical addiction. My chiropractor adjusted my neck so I felt less nerve tension--I no longer woke up with pounding headaches and depression. I realized that psychologically I had been addicted to other behaviors, non-substance related, as well. I realized how these various addictions were really all one addiction. I realized how other people in my family were addicts, moving from one addiction to the next. And I realized I could put a halt to my caffeine problem, I had the power. I was not helpless. I learned more about myself from this book than in three separate psychotherapies. I wish it had been published years ago, but better now than never. I recommend this book for everyone, not just addicts and compulsives. It helps one gain insight into the mystery of the psyche. I drink herb tea and water now and I'm slowly regaining my health. Thank God for Dr. Dodes and his compassionate treatment of the individual.
Rating: 
Summary: Same old stuff
Review: In a time of heady progress in biochemistry and pharmacology, along comes a clinician to tell us once again that addiction is a state of mind that can be cured by correcting skewed thought patterns. In fact, the neuroplasticity of the brain responds to addictive drugs by altering the function of existing neuropathways. Addicted people are different from normal people by virtue of dysfunctions along the serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine "pleasure pathways." The attitudes expressed in this book are at least 15 years out of date, and likely to be of limited use to anyone attempting to free themselves from addiction.
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Summary: Hit the nail on the head
Review: The first 25 pages of this book describe and summarize the nature of addiction so well it struck me like a ton of bricks. Although I do believe that 12 steps and meetings can be helpful, there is never just one way to solve a problem. With addiction, it is certainly a difficult problem with a deep seated emotional root. I could relate to his descriptions, as well as his main theme, the "rage at helplessness" that triggers addictive behaviors. Whether or not you are in a 12-step program, or even if you are simply interested in addiction as an academic, this is the book to get.
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Summary: The Heart of Addiction
Review: This is the most intelligent approach I have encountered in the literature about understanding and controlling addictions. Dr. Dodes neatly exposes the inaccuracies and implicit destructiveness of 12-Step thinking. His logical arguments and pertinent case studies provide realistic and encouraging guidance toward an individual's achievement of true recovery.
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Summary: Finally!
Review: What a brilliant book! Dr. Dodes crafts an incisive, kind and compelling thesis about what drives addictions. The book is filled to bursting with illuminating case studies, many of which will apply to yourself or loved ones. Whatever the problem, he's got you covered. The writing is pitch perfect and the thinking is lucid. Dodes is the first author I've read who is really on to something. This book should be required reading for anyone touched by addiction.
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Summary: Finally!
Review: You do not have to see a therapist to benefit from this book! This is the best book I have ever read about addiction. I found it to be different from every other book I've ever seen about this topic, and it has been enormously helpful to me, which I have to say was a big surprise given my experience with other books. The author is thoughtful, fair-minded, and compassionate, and the case histories are wonderful. This book really is in a class by itself, because it talks about the emotional basis of addictions in a way that I haven't seen anywhere else. If you are involved with 12-step programs, I personally think this book is perfectly compatible with them. But whether you have been in 12-step programs or not, this is a must-read book. I highly recommend it to anyone with addictive or compulsive behavior.
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