Introduction: I Know Your Pain Because I Am One of You
Understanding Substance Abuse and Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery
1 Addiction Is a Disease, Not a Matter of Choice
Evolution of the Science of Addiction
Drugs of Abuse Change the Reward Pathways of the Brain
The Symptoms of Withdrawal Promote Continued Drug Use
Psychoactive Drugs Impact Cognitive Function and Decision Making
Gambling Changes the Reward Pathways of the Brain and Impairs Brain Function
Why It Matters: The Significance of the Disease Model of Addiction
“He Must Be on Something, but What Is It?”
2 Drugs of Abuse and Their Effects on the Body
How Drugs Enter the System Has an Impact on Their Effects
Classification of Drugs of Abuse
Amphetamines Including Methamphetamine
Synthetic Cathinones, Including Bath Salts
3 Debunking the Myths: The Facts about Marijuana
The Basics: The Plant, the Drug, and Its Uses
Effects, Symptoms of Intoxication, and Immediate Health Risks
Tolerance, Withdrawal, and Addiction Potential
Adolescent Vulnerability to Marijuana and Other Drugs
Serious Long-Term Risks Linked to Heavy Use That Begins in Adolescence
Effects of Marijuana on the Adolescent Brain
Learning and Lifetime Achievement
Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health
Cardiovascular and Respiratory Impairments
Legalization Contributes to the Perception That Marijuana Is Not Harmful, Resulting in Increased Use
4 The Criteria for Diagnosis of Addictive Disorders
Substance Use Disorders under the DSM-5
Gambling Disorders under the DSM-5
“How Could This Have Happened to Us?”
5 Understanding Risk Factors and Accepting That Causation Is “No Fault”
Genetic and Biological Factors
Early Onset of Use and Developmental Factors
Experiential Factors: Neglect, Trauma, Grief, and Loss
“Doesn’t He Have to Want to Get Better?”
6 Treatment: How and Why It Works
Screening and Brief Intervention
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
A Difference in Philosophy: Abstinence-Based and Harm Reduction Programs
Time in Treatment: The Therapeutic Benefits of Abstinence
Getting Past Denial: The Stages of Change
Treatment in the Context of Co-occurring Disorders and for Specific Populations
Treatment of Gambling Disorders
“What Is Going to Happen after She Leaves Treatment?”
7 What Recovery Means and How It Can Be Sustained
Recovery Goes Far Beyond Abstinence
Planning for Supported Recovery after Discharge
The Twelve-Step Recovery Fellowships
There Are Many Different Paths to Wellness
“He Can’t Wait to See His Old Friends.”
8 Obstacles to Recovery, and Relapse
Understanding the Impact That Another’s Disease Has on You and the Need for Your Own Recovery
“We Aren’t the Problem, They Are.”
9 The Parallel Roads to Recovery for the Addicted and Those Who Love Them
10 How to Facilitate Your Own Recovery
Health, Family, Purpose, and Community
Processing the Past to Clear the Way for the Future
Building Your Personal Recovery Program
A Checklist: 50 Recovery Tools
Bringing It All Together to Support Recovery for Yourself and Your Loved One
“How Do We Get Her in a Program?”
11 Making Reasoned Decisions to Facilitate Treatment
Action Without Enabling; Letting Go Without Giving Up
How to Choose Appropriate Treatment Providers
Resistance to Entering Treatment
12 Taking Action to Live Comfortably with the Recovering Addict
Preparation: What to Do while Your Loved One Is in Treatment
Traversing the Minefield of Early Recovery
Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Financial Considerations in the Presence of Disordered Gambling
Healthy Patterns of Communication
“Practicing These Principles in All of Our Affairs”