Addiction In South And East Africa

This book explores both the existence and prevalence of addiction in South and East Africa, departing from traditional assumptions about addiction in the region. The authors employ an interdisciplinary approach to understand the actual prevalence of addiction and the forms it takes in South and East Africa. The book also addresses the perceptions and conceptualisation of addiction in the region, in addition to discussing specific issues related to drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, social media addiction, and sex addiction.

An expert system, also known as a knowledge based system, is a computer program that contains some of the subject-specific knowledge of one or more human experts. This class of program was first developed by researchers in artificial intelligence during the 1960s and 1970s and applied commercially throughout the 1980s. The most common form of expert systems is a program made up of a set of rules that analyse information usually supplied by the user of the system) about a specific class of problems, as well as providing mathematical analysis of the problem(s), and, depending upon their design, recommend a course of user action in order to implement corrections. It is a system that utilises what appear to be reasoning capabilities to reach conclusions. This book presents important research on in this dynamic field.

This book brings together scholars from across the behavioural sciences and public health to examine substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa. Divided into two parts, the first chapters examine aetiology, signs and symptoms, risk factors, impact, and psychosocial challenges relating to use of conventional drugs, among others. The second section focuses on prevention and intervention strategies to curtail substance abuse. The authors provide a research-informed, practical resource on sustainable community health concepts, procedures and practices for addressing substance use for the health and wellbeing of partner communities. The prevention and intervention strategies discussed include a comprehensive consideration of context-specific behavioural, environmental, psychosocial and cultural factors that may affect substance use. The chapters examine various aspects of use including, dependency, intoxication, and withdrawal in tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other substances. The book provides a research-informed, practical resource that will appeal to students and scholars of psychology, psychiatry and public health; as well as to policymakers and practitioners in the fields of addiction, development and allied health.

AIDS, Behavior, and Culture presents a bold challenge to the prevailing wisdom of “the global AIDS industry” and offers an alternative framework for understanding what works in HIV prevention. Arguing for a behavior-based approach, Green and Ruark make the case that the most effective programs are those that encourage fundamental behavioral changes such as abstinence, delay of sex, faithfulness, and cessation of injection drug use. Successful programs are locally based, low cost, low tech, innovative, and built on existing cultural structures. In contrast, they argue that anthropologists and public health practitioners focus on counseling, testing, condoms, and treatment, and impose their Western values, culture, and political ideologies in an attempt to “liberate” non-Western people from sexual repression and homophobia. This provocative book is essential reading for anyone working in HIV/AIDS prevention, and a stimulating introduction to the key controversies and approaches in global health and medical anthropology for students and general readers.

The 12th volume of International Development Policy explores the relationship between international drug policy and development goals, both current and within a historical perspective. Contributions address the drugs and development nexus from a range of critical viewpoints, highlighting gaps and contradictions, as well as exploring strategies and opportunities for enhanced linkages between drug control and development programming. Criminalisation and coercive law enforcement-based responses in international and national level drug control are shown to undermine peace, security and development objectives. Contributors include: Kenza Afsahi, Damon Barrett, David Bewley-Taylor, Daniel Brombacher, Julia Buxton, Mary Chinery-Hesse, John Collins, Joanne Csete, Sarah David, Ann Fordham, Corina Giacomello, Martin Jelsma, Sylvia Kay, Diederik Lohman, David Mansfield, José Ramos-Horta, Tuesday Reitano, Andrew Scheibe, Shaun Shelly, Khalid Tinasti, and Anna Versfeld.

Principles of Addiction Medicine: The Essentials is a compact and portable distillation of the American Society of Addiction Medicine's flagship text, Principles of Addiction Medicine. This handbook present the clinically essential points from the larger text in an easy-to-follow outlined and bulleted format. Each chapter follows a template with structured headings such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic uses, effects, liability, and withdrawal. Principles of Addiction Medicine: The Essentials is an excellent reference for a wide variety of addiction medicine professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, internal medicine/primary care physicians, and substance abuse counselors.

This respected text from the American Society of Addiction Medicine is valuable for all physicians and mental-health personnel who specialize in addiction medicine and who treat patients with addiction disorders. The chapters blend scientific principles underlying addiction with the practical essentials of clinical addiction medicine. Many of the contributors are affiliated with leading government agencies that study addiction and its science, such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The book will appeal to a wide and interdisciplinary range of professionals, especially those with interest or duties relating to addiction-related disorders, and in particular physicians seeking certification status via either the American Board of Addiction Medicine or the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. A companion Website will offer the fully searchable text.

This authoritative work comprehensively examines all aspects of addictive disorders and their treatment. Leading researchers and practitioners identify best practices in assessment and diagnosis and provide tools for working with users of specific substances. Issues in working with particular populations--including polysubstance abusers, culturally diverse patients, women, and older adults--are addressed, and widely used psychosocial and pharmacological treatment approaches are reviewed. An indispensable text for anyone studying or treating these prevalent, challenging disorders, the book describes ways to tailor interventions to each patient's needs while delivering compassionate, evidence-based care.