Rating: 
Summary: amazed
Review: Most of us only know Drew from his part on loveline. In this, we believe he only exists for the radio show but he does not. Loveline is probably the smallest part of his life. I knew what not to expect from this book and bought it from what I did expect. Drew told us what it was about and that is what I got. The subtitle of the book says "A Doctor's Story", is it so surprising that the doctor would use his thoughts as well as his words? His thoughts and feelings especially in the book do not lead me to believe that this man has a God complex.
I don't know if his prescriptions were correct, I am not a doctor. I cannot say if his therapy tactics are right, I am not a therapist. The only thing I can say is that I am one of the people that he works for, not on, but for. The stories sound similar because they are. I've heard each one a thousand times, with different particulars and endings. It's so hard to watch so many people walk out that door and wonder if they'll be dead or in jail or even saved.
The book was good enough to read like fiction. It's true and honest. It is nice to know that I am not the only person that hurts for others. How difficult it must be to have such sensitivities and still work where Drew does. It takes more strength to face it than ignore it, as most non-addicts do. C'est incroyable!-to the book and the man.
Rating:
Summary: Insight Into the Addict and the Care Provider
Review: A hard book to put down, I felt like I was watching a car accident in slow motion, unable to turn my eyes away, even from the gross parts. The addiction process and the methodology that is used to try to help the addicted is well explained in episodic scenes from the lives of several addicts in different stages of care. Excellent Insight develops over the course of the book about the relationship of the Care provider to the addict and why he is driven to rescue the terribly wounded. For those who have listened to "Loveline" for years on the radio, this details the other side of Dr. Drew and what drives him and why he should be considered "Man of the Year."
Rating:
Summary: Compassionate Doctor Writes about His Work
Review: Cracked tells the story of a compassionate doctor who treats drug addicted patients in a rehabilitation center.Throughout the book Dr. Drew Pinsky shares his life as a drug addiction specialist, treating patients with attachment and emotion, hoping to save them from a life filled with hellish torment. Dr. Pinsky is very open about his own feelings and reactions as a doctor who must deal with people so overcome with pain they turn to drugs. He is aware of their suffering as he strives to lead them to a sober life, struggling to help them "get it," to learn to trust those who treat them. The best part of the book is Pinsky's willingness to show himself as a human being, not as a detached professional who has all the answers. Dr. Pinsky's work in his treatment center and also his advice so ably given on Loveline with Adam Carolla must be seen as some of the best achievements in medicine and psychology. Pinsky's partner, Adam Carolla, must also be commended for his humor and insight into how to lead a happy and fulfilling life. These two need to be encouraged to continue their program. They do so much good. Read the book. Listen to Loveline. There is something there for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Drew is my hero
Review: Dr. Drew you are truley a great man. I listen to loveline everynight, and I loved cracked. I am going to Oklahoma University to be a Psychiatrist and that is why you and your work are so interesting. I loved how you gave us insight into your everyday life as well. Please write another similiar book, and keep up the good work.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Messages
Review: He hates Clinton (good) but likes euthanasia (huh?). He advocates "harm reduction" (that ol' secular-humanist standby) but he says the '70s were bad (the moral-relativist decade). He wants to save kids by exposing them to a filthy radio show. The book gives sordid details of the "plight" of addicts. And nothing is ever their own fault. The Blame Game figures into Dr. Drew's scheme -- but it's not just the usual suspects. Instead of (you guessed it) "everything-is-the-parents'-fault" we also get some juicy cultural targets. But this insight into why Filth Culture is destroying a great nation is so mixed with parent-blaming and God-blaming that it becomes a mire. How about some simple answers, Doc? Enough with the "deepness." At least he hates Clinton and loves Bush, but we can do better than Dr. Drew.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good
Review: I like it. It reminds me that doctors have feelings, too. It shows that recovery is up to the individual and it is hard work. Fascinating theories about addiction are included without being too technical. Dr Drew is a passionate, passionate man, as we know. He repeats himself a lot though. Maybe it's because he's struggling with his issues he talks about during the book, and maybe he knows addicts are reading it and need reinforcement. But it gets a little repetitive, and that's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent look into the world of addiction treatment
Review: I picked this book up at 9pm and couldn't put it down until I completed it at 4am, it was that riviting of a story. Although told through the first person experience of Dr. Pinsky, this is not an autobiography or a loveline merchandising scheme, but instead a touching and fascinating look into the practice of addiction medicine. It follows in the same vane as a reality program you might expect to see on the discovery channel or pbs but with the added look into the mind of the clinician that only comes through first person narrative. I thought the candor of Dr. Pinsky, including the feelings he witheld from his patients, was totally relevant in showing the complex interactions at play during the treatment of addiction. It's refreshing to see the human side of clinical treatment that would otherwise be left unexposed.
This book is a great read and is well worth the money spent... great work Dr Drew!
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money, time, and attention
Review: I was given this book. What a disappointment! It is all about Drew Pinsky's reactions to people.
*Nothing about what a 12-step meeting is actually like
*Nothing about secular alternatives to recovery (Rational Recovery, LifeRing or Secular Sobriety)
*Nothing about increasing physical fitness as a component of recovery and relapse prevention
*Nothing about nutrition as a component of recovery and relapse prevention (treating alcoholism and some other addictions with vitamin supplementation)
*Nothing about non-chemical treatments for depression as a dual diagnosis with addiction
*Nothing substantive about how to get help for addiction,other than going to a treatment center.
Pinsky treats EVERY withdrawal symptom with more drugs. That should be a clue.
Dr. Pinsky assumes that the patient population he treats (many of whom have been remanded to Las Encinas by cour order) is representative of all addicts. They are not. There are many addicted individuals who achieve sobriety without hospitalization. Pinsky just doesn't see them.
This book was poorly written and edited. Pinsky has a poorly-veiled contempt for most of his patients. The stories he and his ghostwriter present depict the relatives of addicts as evil contributors--nothing about the helpless pain an addict's parent, sibling or spouse may feel, nothing about the efforts relatives may make to support and encourage true recovery. The book is filled with Pinsky's self-congratulatory recitation of his own opinions and insights.
I wish it were possible to give negative stars.
The one place I do agree with Pinsky is the toxicity of modern culture for families and for the young.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Pinsky shares his experiences as a doctor
Review: I was very moved by this book and read it almost straight through. Dr. Pinsky shares the emotional and professional challenges he encounters as an addiction medicine specialist. I was impressed by Dr. Pinsky's courage to share his thoughts and fears related to his childhood and his role as a medical professional. This is not a happy book, but a realistic account of people struggling to fight chemical addictions. Dr. Pinsky also shares his hopes and concerns about his patients' chance to succeed in recovery, while keenly awaiting opportunites of real connection to empathize and deliver a message of hope. A segment of the book is dedicated to explaining the trauma-and biological-based origins of addictions--something your not going to hear discussed by today's celebrity problem solvers. Cracked is an honest account of some of Dr. Drew's life experiences and gave me a new perspective on the challenges faced by addicts and the medical professionals treating them. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, very helpful even if you're not an addict
Review: It is unfortunate that a few previous reviewers lambasted others based on their hero-worship of Dr. Drew. I am not a Love-Line or Dr. Drew fan, but found this book to be very insightful. With a family full of alcoholics and drug addicts (we all agree that I am not), it helped me to understand what those close to me are dealing with, and to further recognize my co-dependence. The book is not flawless, but it made a difference in my life. A relative who was in prison asked me for it; because the paperback edition was not available at that time and hard-back books are disallowed, I bought a copy, Xeroxed a few chapters at a time, and mailed them to him. He said there was a waiting list to read the Xeroxed chapters. I gave him the original upon his release, almost a year ago. He is clean and sober, employed, self-supporting for the first time in his life, and amazingly turned around. How a person can "get it" varies by individual, as Dr. Pinsky rightly points out, but this was it for at least one of my relatives. A few more have chosen to read it since then. I found the purchase to be WELL worth it.
| 
