A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERMore people than ever before see themselves as addicted to, or recovering from, addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, prescription meds, sex, gambling, porn, or the internet. But despite the unprecedented attention, our understanding of addiction is trapped in unfounded 20th century ideas, addiction as a crime or as brain disease, and in equally outdated treatment. Challenging both the idea of the addict's "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality," Unbroken Brain offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviors fall on a spectrum -- and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book illustrates how timing, history, family, peers, culture and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery- and why there is no "addictive personality" or single treatment that works for all.Combining Maia Szalavitz's personal story with a distillation of more than 25 years of science and research, Unbroken Brain provides a paradigm-shifting approach to thinking about addiction.

CONTENTSAuthor¿s Note ixIntroduction 11. Needle Point 92. A History of Addiction 203. The Nature of Addiction 324. Intense World 415. The Myth of the Addictive Personality 566. Labels 727. Hell Is Junior High School 848. Transitive Nightfall 949. On Dope and Dopamine 10610. Set and Setting 12111. Love and Addiction 13812. Risky Business 15513. Busted 16714. The Problem with Bottom 17415. Antisocial Behavior 19116. The 12-Step Conundrum 20717. Harm Reduction 22418. The Kiwi Approach 24319. Teaching Recovery 25820. Neurodiversity and the Future of Addiction 272Acknowledgments 287Notes 289Index 323