An Encyclopedia Of Addictions

This collection provides authoritative coverage of neurobiology of addiction, models of addiction, sociocultural perspectives on drug use, family and community factors, prevention theories and techniques, professional issues, the criminal justice system and substance abuse, assessment and diagnosis, and more.

A reference guide that answers the questions people have about addiction and addictive behaviors of all kinds, including drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, Internet usage, and more. Addiction: A Reference Encyclopedia offers straight talk and clear answers on a topic often sensationalized in the media and politicized during campaigns. Drawing from a wide variety of sources, it provides readers with a concise yet thorough review of what we know about all kinds of addictive behavior. Addiction surveys both the science of addiction and its history in the United States with two main sections: a narrative of the history of addiction as a scientific and public policy issue in the United States followed by a series of alphabetically organized entries focused on organizations, individuals, and events that have impacted our thinking about addiction. Much of the work focuses on substance abuse—alcohol, tobacco, opiates, cocaine—but the book also examines behaviors that have only recently been recognized as potentially addictive, including gambling, sexual activity, Internet usage, and more.

Provides more than three hundred alphabetically arranged entries that cover the signs, symptoms, and causes of addictive behaviors, and includes discussions of treatments and therapies.

From Publisher's Website: The Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior, 3rd edition updates and expands upon the award-winning second edition of this set, addressing social, medical, legal, and political issues related to substance use and addictive behavior. New essays report on contemporary socio-political topics such as the role of drugs and alcohol in the media, the prevalence of drugs in the international sports and fashion industries, the relationship between drug trafficking and terrorism, and the impact of the Internet on drug and alcohol use. The third edition also expands international coverage of historical and modern perspectives on drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in more than 30 countries and regions, including the Caribbean, the Middle East, and China. Many of the 545 topical entries are enhanced by statistical charts, graphs, tables, and photographs.

This two volume set contains frank and factual information about symptoms, causes, effects, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse—alcohol, nicotine, and drugs—and of behavioral addictions such as eating disorders, pathological gambling, and compulsive sexual activity. Including the most up-to-date research, the addiction entries are based largely on criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.Tracing the history of the debate over whether addiction is a choice or a disease, the volumes explain how genetic and biological findings support the disease concept while lifestyle choices affect the course of the disease. Graphics and discussions of the brain structures that support this self-reinforcing mechanism illustrate why treatments that obstruct the pathway are showing such promise.

This volume, containing entries from marijuana to nitrous oxide, covers the drug's history, typical users, effects on the body, treatment options, consequences of use, legal issues, and more.