Craving For Ecstasy And Natural Highs

"Harvey B. Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth have written a tour de force. Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs: A Positive Approach to Mood Alteration . . . is a beautifully written and organized book . . . a thrill ride through the most innovative and insightful perspectives that science and clinical experience have to offer . . . hip and artistic, reflecting a deep understanding of addiction . . . a major contribution to the field; it is must reading." - Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS Editor, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School Director, Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance "Reading this book is in itself and ecstatic experience! . . . a fascinating journey that explores the benefits and risks of pleasure and the universal desire to feel good . . . It's quite a trip." - G. Alan Marlatt, PhD, University of Washington People from all walks of life often lose themselves in pursuing counterfeit pleasures--cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, thrill seeking, sex, food, gambling, and on-line fantasies to name just a few. How does the pursuit of pleasure result in compulsion and loss of control? Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs addresses this fundamental question and then explores positive ways to achieve lasting happiness and fulfillment. Readers will gain important insight on how to improve their own quality of life and will learn how to offer support to clients, students, family, and friends whose lives may be compromised by hedonic dependencies. Students of addictive behaviors and anyone interested in discovering healthy means to satisfy the drive to alter consciousness will find this book compelling. Reviews of previous work: "The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. . . . These authors know their stuff and make a compelling case." - The Los Angeles Times "The authors provide a valuable service by placing into perspective a large array of behaviors that could be considered addictive." - JAMA

Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs explains how the pursuit of pleasure can result in compulsion and loss of control, and explores positive ways to achieve lasting happiness. It provides insight on how to improve quality of life and how to offer support to students, clients, family, or friends whose lives may be compromised by addiction. Timely and comprehensive, the text addresses current topics related to drug use and society, including the medicalization, legalization, and widespread availability of THC, the complex problem of prescription and black-market opioid and heroin abuse, nicotine's effects on the brain, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and hookah bars, and more. Early chapters address addiction through topics such as pleasure and the brain, food addictions and the ways food can alter neurochemistry, and the effect of stress hormones on mood. Later chapters discuss the prevention and treatment methods discovered within the past decade, namely the introduction of natural highs - such as exercise, meditation, and eating well - to children to help them achieve pleasure and reduce stress without the use of dangerous substances. Highly readable and engaging, Craving for Ecstasy and Natural Highs will appeal to students of addictive behavior, physical and mental health practitioners of all kinds, and anyone interested in discovering healthy ways to find satisfaction, wellness, and a natural sense of elation in life.

(Publisher-supplied data) Alcohol, tobacco, sex, food. . .escape the pleasure trap and regain control of your life! The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. These authors know their stuff, and they make a compelling case. . . .All in all, Craving for Ecstasy is a challenging, well-considered analysis.?Los Angeles Times Milkman and Sunderwirth offer a new and different perspective from which to understand a very complex and confusing pattern of human behavior. Their ideas are vibrant, provocative, stimulating, and written for a public that is demanding a better explanation.?Howard J. Shaffer, director, Center for Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and The Cambridge Hospital Addictive behavior goes far beyond the compulsive use of drugs and alcohol. It is possible to become addicted to what may seem a harmless pleasure such as sex, jogging, watching television, or eating. In this powerful book?written in easy-to-understand language?two scientific researchers, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, explain the biology, chemistry, and psychology of the universal desire for pleasure and escape. For example, they reveal how the brain produces mind-altering substances and what the skydiver has in common with the heroin addict. But, most importantly, with the use of a self-assessment test and an invaluable guide for treatment, the authors show what steps you can take to regain control of your life.

Alcohol, tobacco, sex, food. . .escape the pleasure trap and regain control of your life! The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. These authors know their stuff, and they make a compelling case. . . .All in all, Craving for Ecstasy is a challenging, well-considered analysis. ?Los Angeles Times Milkman and Sunderwirth offer a new and different perspective from which to understand a very complex and confusing pattern of human behavior. Their ideas are vibrant, provocative, stimulating, and written for a public that is demanding a better explanation. ?Howard J. Shaffer, director, Center for Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and The Cambridge Hospital Addictive behavior goes far beyond the compulsive use of drugs and alcohol. It is possible to become addicted to what may seem a harmless pleasure such as sex, jogging, watching television, or eating. In this powerful book?written in easy-to-understand language?two scientific researchers, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, explain the biology, chemistry, and psychology of the universal desire for pleasure and escape. For example, they reveal how the brain produces mind-altering substances and what the skydiver has in common with the heroin addict. But, most importantly, with the use of a self-assessment test and an invaluable guide for treatment, the authors show what steps you can take to regain control of your life.

This book provides the tools needed to assess, monitor and evaluate the change and progress made by criminal justice clients at the beginning, during and after treatment

This brief, evidence-based guide is ideal for busy mental health professionals helping clients with opioid use disorders (OUDs). It examines the devastating global impact caused by opioids and is replete with information and resources that can be immediately applied to addiction work. The authors’ pragmatic, strengths-based approach to treatment is based on a collaborative counselor-client working alliance to achieve client readiness for change, moderation, and abstinence. Topics discussed include current research on risk and protective factors, OUD assessment and diagnosis, the ethical and legal issues particular to addiction work, medication-assisted treatment, physical and psychological interventions for pain management, and the necessity of interdisciplinary care. In addition, Drs. Alderson and Gladding provide a number of counseling approaches and treatment options that consider work with women, youth, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, individuals in the criminal justice system, and rural residents. Five useful appendices conclude the book, including a listing of 20 opioid drugs in descending order of potency; common ICD-10, ICD-10-CM, and ICD-11 codes; and a glossary of terms and abbreviations. About the Authors Kevin G. Alderson, PhD, is professor emeritus of counseling psychology from the University of Calgary. He is an editorial board member of the Journal of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse & Substance Dependence and the Austin Journal of Drug Abuse and Addiction, as well as the editor of the Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Samuel T. Gladding, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University and the author of numerous, best selling counseling texts. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com. *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website here *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]

There is a virtual epidemic of addiction in the United States, both traditional addictions to drugs and alcohol but also newer addictions, like sex, gambling, rage, work, and food/eating. Some authorities have labeled addictions the number one mental health problem in America. We are spending millions of dollars annually trying to prevent, understand, and treat this epidemic--and yet by any measure of success we are losing this "war." In this cultural context Dr. Sullender invites us to look again at the spiritually based scheme of the Seven Deadly Sins, which originated at the dawn of Western civilization. He suggests that what our spiritual forebears meant by "deadly" is best captured in the modern concept of "addiction." Based on this thesis, this book explores what is addictive about the sins of pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony, sloth, and lust, and suggests that these sins are all obsessive, and as such become the mental component in the addictive cycle. Each chapter concludes by offering some spiritual resources, practices, and insights that can help us win the battle against addiction, which is ultimately won or lost on a mental or spiritual plane.

Drop Addictive Sweets and Starches--and Stop Weight Gain--in 24 Hours Featuring a 5-part questionnaire to help you identify your personal craving profile Julia Ross, best-selling author and expert in nutrition and overeating, exposes the real reason so many of us can’t stick to a healthy diet: our favorite foods are engineered to be addictive. At her clinic in California, Ross and her colleagues treat food addiction where it starts--in the brain--by triggering our natural appetite-regulating neurotransmitters with nutrients called amino acids. It turns out that these protein concentrates boost our neurotransmitters, which broadcast sensations of satisfaction that no food, including chocolate, can override. Thousands of Ross’ clients have abolished their cravings for high-calorie confections using this simple nutritional strategy. With The Craving Cure, Ross grants all of us access to this revolutionary approach. The process begins with a five-part questionnaire that helps you identify your unique craving profile and specifies the amino acid supplements you need to curb your specific cravings. Ross’ clear explanations of why and how to use the aminos empower you to reclaim your natural appetite control, and her anti-craving eating guidelines will permanently strengthen your dietary defenses. A well-researched and clinically-tested rejection of low-calorie, low-saturated fat, and low-protein diets, The Craving Cure reveals how we can effortlessly and permanently eradicate our cravings to lose weight, rediscover our nutritional heritage, and regain optimal mood, energy, and health.