The gripping and shocking story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium and Oxycontin, by the prize-winning, bestselling author of Say Nothing.

The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions – Harvard; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Oxford; the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations in the arts and the sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing Oxycontin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis-an international epidemic of drug addiction which has killed nearly half a million people.

In this masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, Patrick Radden Keefe exhaustively documents the jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality. Empire of Pain is the story of a dynasty: a parable of 21st century greed.

"My name is Samantha and I’m an alcoholic. At the time of writing, I’ve been sober for 13 years, 11 months and 16 days. And yes I still count. I promised I would never speak about it publicly until my children understood what that meant, that mommy was an alcoholic. I think they may have understood long before I did."

From Whiskey To Water is the no-holds-barred memoir by one of South Africa’s most loved radio talk show hosts, Sam Cowen. Having kept her alcohol addiction well away from the public eye for over 14 years, in this tell-all tale, Sam finds the courage to talk about her struggle with her addiction to whiskey, food and finally to a passion that saved her life – marathon swimming. Told in her characteristically hilarious dead-pan style, this is one of the bravest books you’ll read this year.

"So this is a book on how I stopped drinking? No, it’s not. It’s how I stopped drinking, started eating, became clinically severely obese, stopped eating (everything that wasn’t nailed down) and swam my way to freedom. No, it’s not. It’s actually about addiction and learning and sadness and anxiety and love and drive. It’s about channelling the unchangeable into the miraculous. It’s about dragons and learning how to put them to sleep when you can’t slay them. It’s about being my own Daenarys."

Should marijuana be legalized? The latest Gallup poll reports that exactly half of Americans say "yes"; opinion couldn't be more evenly divided.
Marijuana is forbidden by international treaties and by national and local laws across the globe. But those laws are under challenge in several countries. In the U.S., there is no short-term prospect for changes in federal law, but sixteen states allow medical use and recent initiatives to legalize production and non-medical use garnered more than 40% support in four states. California's Proposition 19 nearly passed in 2010, and multiple states are expected to consider similar measures in the years to come.
The debate and media coverage surrounding Proposition 19 reflected profound confusion, both about the current state of the world and about the likely effects of changes in the law. In addition, not all supporters of "legalization" agree on what it is they want to legalize: Just using marijuana? Growing it? Selling it? Advertising it? If sales are to be legal, what regulations and taxes should apply? Different forms of legalization might have very different results.
Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know(r) will provide readers with a non-partisan primer about the topic, covering everything from the risks and benefits of using marijuana, to describing the current laws around the drug in the U.S. and abroad. The authors discuss the likely costs and benefits of legalization at the state and national levels and walk readers through the "middle ground" of policy options between prohibition and commercialized production. The authors also consider how marijuana legalization could personally impact parents, heavy users, medical users, drug traffickers, and employers.
What Everyone Needs to Know(r) is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press

Tobacco: Science, Policy and Public Health Second Edition comprehensively covers the science and policy issues relevant to one of the major public health disasters of modern times. It pulls together the aetiology and burden of the myriad of tobacco-related diseases with the successes and failures of tobacco control policies. The book looks at lessons learnt to help set health policy for reducing the burden of tobacco-related diseases. It also deals with the international public health policy issues which bear on control of the problem of tobacco use and which vary between continents.
New chapters in this second edition include: Market manipulation: How the tobacco industry recruits and retains smokers; In Their Own Words: An Epoch of Deceit and Deception; Manipulating Product Design to Reinforce Tobacco Addiction; and a new section of the text devoted to 'Tobacco around the world'.
The editors are an international group distinguished in the field of tobacco-related diseases, epidemiology, and tobacco control. The contributors are world experts drawn from the various clinical fields. This major reference text gives a unique overview of one of the major public health problems in both the developed and developing world.

Ivan Petrov was born in 1934 in the industrial town of Chapaevsk. His father was shot by Stalin as an 'enemy of the people', and Ivan was brought up by his mother and violent stepfather - both alcoholics, along with most of the rest of the town. By his early 20s, Ivan had also succumbed to the lure of the bottle. 'Smashed in the USSR' is his eye-opening, frequently eye-watering story.

Teen drug use is a critical and timely health issue that deeply affects adolescent development in a number of important areas, including social, cognitive, and affective functioning, as well as long-term health and wellbeing. Trends indicate that drug use is starting at an earlier age, the potency of several drugs is much stronger than in the past, and more new drugs are illegally being manufactured to provide faster, heightened effects. In addition, illegal use of prescription drugs and drug diversion or the sharing of prescription medication is also on the rise amongst teens. Parenting and Teen Drug Use provides comprehensive coverage of the most current research on youth drug use and prevention, carefully and meticulously presenting empirical evidence and theoretical arguments that underlie the mechanisms linking parental socialization and adolescent drug use. Written by leading experts, chapters examine the causes and consequences of drug use, the myriad ways to prevent it, and the latest findings from the prevention research community regarding what works, with a specific emphasis on parenting techniques that have shown the most promise for reducing or preventing drug use in teens. Parenting and Teen Drug Use will provide valuable insight to a wide audience of clinicians, treatment providers, school counselors, prevention experts, social workers, physicians, substance abuse counselors, students, and those who work with youth on a day-to-day basis to influence positive youth adaptation.

Living with Drugs explores topics surrounding their control, use and risk of misuse. The conclusions in this book are drawn from the seminar held at the EHESS in Paris during the years 2015-2017. It involved anthropologists, sociologists, historians, philosophers, economists, lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, health center workers, community activists, users and former drug users. The seminar, like the resulting book, is based on a transversal approach to disciplines, space and time, and a confluence of academic, practical and experiential knowledge.

Now a major TV series on Disney+ 'A shocking investigation... Dopesick is essential' The Times 'Unfolds with all the pace of a thriller' Observer 'A deep - and deeply needed - look into the troubled soul of America' Tom Hanks 'Essential reading' New York Times Beth Macy reveals the disturbing truth behind America's opioid crisis and explains how a nation has become enslaved to prescription drugs. This powerful and moving story explains how a large corporation, Purdue, encouraged small town doctors to prescribe OxyContin to a country already awash in painkillers. The drug's dangerously addictive nature was hidden, whilst many used it as an escape, to numb the pain of of joblessness and the need to pay the bills. Macy tries to answer a grieving mother's question - why her only son died - and comes away with a harrowing tale of greed and need.

This text provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the essential aspects of youth substance abuse-an important contemporary personal, social, and public health issue. Humans have been using natural and synthetic chemicals for at least two millennia-primarily for the purpose of treating medical problems, but also for recreational purposes. The 2014 Monitoring the Future survey of eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade students indicates a general decline in the use of illicit drugs over the last two decades. On the other hand, perceptions among youth that certain types of drug use-like marijuana and e-cigarettes-are harmless are growing. Youth Substance Abuse: A Reference Handbook provides an overview of the history and development of youth substance abuse along with a discussion of the medical, social, psychological, legal, and economic issues associated with youth substance abuse both in the United States and other parts of the world. The book begins with a comprehensive introduction to the subject of youth substance abuse that explains how modern societies have reached the point where abuse of both legal and illegal substances is a major health issue in many nations. Readers will learn about the effects of substances such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin as well as substances that are typically legal but have deleterious health, social, or psychological effects, such as tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, and electronic cigarettes. Subsequent chapters address how and why youth substance abuse has become a problem in the United States and other countries, the demographics of this widespread problem, the direct and indirect effects of youth substance abuse and addiction, and the range of services and methods that are available for treating substance abuse. Presents individual perspectives on youth substance abuse issues that provide readers with a very personal outlook on specific aspects of the topic Provides readers with broad coverage of current issues and topics in substance abuse by adolescents as well as a historical perspective of how this problem has developed in the United States over the past century Includes a chapter of primary documents sourced from a number of laws and court cases dealing with various aspects of youth substance abuse

This insightful book is a synoptic presentation of Causes and Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. It gives an insight into Alcoholism and Drug Addiction genetic and/or acquired etiologies through researched studies that draw the conclusion that Addiction is a disease/ medical condition. It features the treatment from detox followed by psychotherapy with evidence based practices and supported by Aftercare programs to maintain sobriety and recovery.

This book includes: An insight into Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Psychotherapy with evidence based practices Aftercare programs .Classification and effects of psychoactive drugs Drug screening proceduresMotivational InterviewingCauses and Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Life and clinical experiencesCulture and Drug AddictionLevels of Care in Structured Programs"

This outstanding resource guide for students and young adults provides an introduction to the history of prescription drug abuse that explains how this problem has arisen and examines the social, political, economic, and health issues associated with prescription drug abuse in modern society. Evidence suggests that both adults and youth are abusing a wider range of prescription drugs and abusing them more frequently than has been the case in the past. Prescription drugs are the second most common class of drugs abused by Americans, more than twice as commonly abused as cocaine, and five times as commonly abused as heroin. This book provides readers with information about the specific health effects that can result from using certain types of medical chemicals, particularly opioid analgesics, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogenics; explains the most important factors that have led to the growth of prescription drug problems; and reviews the current status of the issue in the United States and other nations. Readers will learn about the dangers associated with the use of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes, the methods that have been put in place and are being developed to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs, and the trends in prescription drug misuse, with possible explanations for these trends. The book also reviews some of the steps being taken by governments and other organizations and agencies to combat the problem of prescription drug abuse. Explains the dangers associated with the use of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes Provides a detailed introduction for readers seeking to learn about the topic of prescription drug abuse and serves as an research tool for school projects Includes thought-provoking perspective essays from individuals involved in the discussion of how to address prescription drug abuse Supplies primary source documents in the form of excerpts from laws, administrative rulings, and court cases regarding prescription drug abuse as well as a glossary of key terms used in discussing the topic of prescription drug abuse

This book provides a comprehensive overview of drug policy in the United States from the early 1900s through the present day, providing historical and social context through the telling of the colorful and often tragic stories of the events and individuals throughout this period. Substance Abuse in America: A Documentary and Reference Guide examines the history of U.S. drug policy chronologically, from the early 1900s through the current day, covering topics such as patent medicines, Prohibition, Reefer Madness, the psychedelic '60s, Nixon's War on Drugs, and the powerful warring Mexican drug cartels that currently threaten political instability in that country. This book provides a comprehensive overview of U.S. drug policy that will fascinate general readers and benefit those in the field of substance abuse treatment or policy. Each chapter includes an analysis of a primary source document that serves to illuminate drug policy in America at a particular point in time as well as the reasons for the waxing and waning popularity of various drugs. The author provides accurate historical context that explains perceptions about substance abuse in American history, and draws compelling parallels across different time periods to show that much of what may seem new and unique for the present generation actually has a historical precedent. Suggestions for further readering are provided with each chapter, including books and book chapters, articles in the popular press, government documents, and links to Internet resources

Author of AP's bestselling "Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention" now turns her attention to substance abuse intervention. The book will follow a similar format to her previous book, presenting information in easy to read outline form, with relevant forms, patient questionnaires, checklists, business documents, etc.
Part I discusses the social impact of substance abuse and provides a general overview of the physiological and psychological characteristics of abuse, DSM IV definition of abuse, and classifications of the varying types of drugs. Part II is the main section of the book and covers assessment, different stages of abuse/recovery, and treatment choices. Coverage includes the discussion of myriad self help choices (e.g. AA), group therapy, brief therapy, and more. Discussion will also include making a determination of treatment as inpatient or outpatient, and issues relevant to special populations (teenagers, geriatrics, comorbidity patients, etc.). Part III presents skill building resources. Part IV covers prevention, quality assurance, and also includes a glossary.
* Outlines treatment goals and objectives
* Outlines for assessing special circumstances
* Offers skill building resources to supplement treatment

The classic American struggle between the public interest and corporate interests is perhaps nowhere better illustrated than in the decades-long struggle between the tobacco industry and advocates for public health. The failure of the "global settlement" legislation is now viewed by many public health experts as an historic missed opportunity, and in this extraordinary book, "Smoke in Their Eyes, " Michael Pertschuk brilliantly describes the forces brought to bear.

A lifelong public health leader and tobacco control advocate, Pertschuk provides uncommon insight into the movement and its opposition. Questions that reveal themselves here can be applied to public advocacy as a whole: how can movement leaders gauge and best employ popular support? Who has legitimacy to speak on behalf of a particular public cause? And perhaps most crucially, how is it possible for those whose cause is a moral one to strike political compromise? With a narrative as compelling as the issues it raises, "Smoke in Their Eyes" will be of great interest to everyone from students of public advocacy and political science to general readers.

If sound policy is to be made on the issue of marijuana in the workplace, all available empirical evidence about its impact on job performance should be utilized in the decision process. Although a substantial amount of relevant research has been done, the results published in journals in widely divergent fields, are not easily summarized and present no single, simple message for decision makers. Schwenk and Rhodes offer a unique review of this complex body of work and challenge the many highly publicized but scientifically unsound mythical numbers touted as supporting various policy options. The authors provide a clear and objective presentation to managers on how to evaluate the evidence for themselves and make sound decisions for their own organizations. Scrupulously unbiased in its choice of material, the book will be an essential resource for organizational and public policy makers, and for university students and their teachers.

The effect of marijuana on job performance has been widely accepted as harmful--but is it? Congress thought so, and in 1988, used productivity losses which it attributed to marijuana and other drugs to justify passage of legislation initiating a mandate for a drug-free workplace. Additional legislation expanding this mandate followed and a high percentage of large corporations and an increasing number of small businesses now expend scarce resources on anti-drug programs. Schwenk and Rhodes remain neutral in the debate over workplace drug policies, but argue that policy should be informed by empirical research on the impact of marijuana on job performance. Their book is both a challenge to the mythical numbers so often publicized as supporting a particular advocate's vested position, and a guide to both practitioners and scholars to help them evaluate the diverse body of existing evidence and the claims made by those committed to given policy positions.

Schwenk and Rhodes reprint examples of high quality research previously published in major journals in the fields of psychology, anthropology, economics and medicine. Reviewing and summarizing existing findings, the authors relate these findings to the decision situations faced by policy-makers in the private and public sectors. While the book refuses to endorse any decision outcome with regard to marijuana and the workplace, it makes strong recommendations about the DEGREESIprocesses DEGREESR that should be used in selecting those outcomes. It provides guidelines for evaluating policy-relevant social scientific evidence and discusses the role such evidence can and should play in policy-making. The book shows that contrary to widely held beliefs, very little evidence that the substance has a consistent negative effect on worker productivity. Though social science does not show that resources devoted to creating a drug-free workplace are likely to pay off economically, the authors stress that the implications of this fact for corporate and government decisions are not cut and dried, but depend on the decision rules and the policy goals selected by policy-makers. This book will be an essential tool for managers, scholars, and anyone trying to make sense of the complicated and confusing maze of data and arguments surrounding this divisive issue.

This book describes the events, activities and negotiations leading up to the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on international drug policy. A range of respected authors from International institutions, academia and civil society organisations detail the background to the negotiations and the outcome; and possible future scenarios for continued reform and change at the High Level Review in 2019. The chapters include consideration of the positions taken by blocs and nation-states at all points on the prohibition - reform continuum. Topics covered include discussions on the importance of human rights, access to essential medicines and the role played by cannabis in revealing the contradictions and divisions in both national and international contexts. The break-down of the previous international consensus on 'the world drug problem' is clearly described and analysed, as is the slow progress being made to the adoption of a human rights and health-based approach to currently illegal drugs. Consideration is also given to the nations and arguments which continue to defend prohibition and its repressive impacts on national populations, and the prioritising of geo-politics over population health this represents in practice. There are lessons and examples here for international politics and national policy reform.

This concise, up-to-date volume compiles information and materials documenting illicit drugs and their use from multiple perspectives. Illicit drug use is a deeply embedded characteristic of most societies, resulting in illness, death, crime and violence, terrorism, imprisonment, property confiscation-and massive allocations of government resources. Illicit Drugs provides comprehensive information for those seeking to understand the nature and scope of this far-reaching problem, as well as major issues of concern and debate surrounding it. Organized thematically, the book begins with an overview of illicit drug use and abuse, including its history and risk factors. The scope of illicit drug use in the United States is covered, including conditions that encourage the practice, costs, related policies and programs, and prevention and treatment considerations. The book looks at populations at risk, including children and youth, women, older adults, and racial and ethnic minorities. International aspects of illicit drugs, such as production, trafficking, and consumption are also examined. A chronology of significant events, decisions, policies, and agreements about illicit drug use in the United States from 1872 to the present Graphs and tables about illicit drug use patterns and problems A world map depicting the distribution of problem drugs throughout the world A glossary of key terms about drug use and abuse A bibliography of significant reference materials addressing illicit drug use

Experts in gerontology, clinical psychology, and geriatric medicine provide an analytical survey and abstracts of the significant literature and research dealing with alcoholism and aging over the last 30 years. This research guide offers a general survey with sections dealing separately with the prevalence, precipitants, effects, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcoholism in the older generation. The book also offers directions for future research. The narrative ends with a listing of references that have been assessed. The annotated bibliography gives abstracts for 301 sources that are arranged by types of works: bibliographies, overview articles, books and book chapters, empirical studies, and miscellaneous works. Cross-references and author and subject indexes make this guide readily accessible to students and teachers in the field of sociology, gerontology, psychology, medicine, and public health.

aThis is a beautifully written account from the front lines of a struggle between a federal drug war complex determined to keep demonizing marijuana and the growing movement of patients and doctors who have found marijuana to be a valuable medicine. Voters in California and many other states have strongly supported the patients. The moving stories in this book show why.a
--Craig Reinarman, co-author of "Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice"

aChapkis and Webb have done a masterful job in describing the intricacies of the drug debate and offer brilliant analysis on a complex and controversial subject. Both baby boomers and the current teenage population will find this book important and compelling reading.a
--Terry Williams, author of "Crackhouse: Notes from the End of the Line"

Marijuana as medicine has been a politically charged topic in this country for more than three decades. Despite overwhelming public support and growing scientific evidence of its therapeutic effects (relief of the nausea caused by chemotherapy for cancer and AIDS, control over seizures or spasticity caused by epilepsy or MS, and relief from chronic and acute pain, to name a few), the drug remains illegal under federal law.

In Dying to Get High, noted sociologists Wendy Chapkis and Richard J. Webb investigate one community of seriously-ill patients fighting the federal government for the right to use physician-recommended marijuana. Based in Santa Cruz, California, the Wo/Menas Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) is a unique patient-caregiver cooperative providing marijuana free of charge to mostly terminally ill members. For a brief period in 2004, it even operated the only legalnon-governmental medical marijuana garden in the country, protected by the federal courts against the DEA.

Using as their stage this fascinating profile of one remarkable organization, Chapkis and Webb tackle the broader, complex history of medical marijuana in America. Through compelling interviews with patients, public officials, law enforcement officers and physicians, Chapkis and Webb ask what distinguishes a legitimate patient from an illegitimate apothead, a agooda drugs from abad, a medicinal effects from ajust getting high.a Dying to Get High combines abstract argument and the messier terrain of how people actually live, suffer and die, and offers a moving account of what is at stake in ongoing debates over the legalization of medical marijuana.

The book provides an account of the lives and experiences of a group of female intravenous drug users in Glasgow. Based on participant observations of the women in their own setting and in-depth interviews, it is the first full ethnographic account of the lifestyle of female drug users.