The dangers of illegal drugs are well known and rarely disputed, but how harmful are alcohol and tobacco by comparison? What are we missing by banning medical research into magic mushrooms, LSD and cannabis? Can they be sources of valuable treatments? The second edition of Drugs without the hot air looks at the science to allow anyone to make rational decisions based on objective evidence, asking: *What is addiction? Is there an addictive personality? *What is the role of cannabis in treating epilepsy? *How harmful is vaping? *How can psychedelics treat depression? *Where is the opioid crisis taking us?

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE NEW SCIENCE OF PSYCHEDELICS. Psychedelics are big news. From micro-dosing to mushroom clinics to celebrity-endorsed ayahuasca retreats in Peru, they are moving ever more into mainstream consciousness. But psychedelics are also set to change the face of medicine, our treatment for mental health conditions like depression, and our understanding of the human brain. Rooted in his team's world-leading research in the brain imaging of psychedelics, as well as years of hands-on experience treating patients, in Psychedelics Professor David Nutt will correct myths and misconceptions, equip us with the information to make informed decisions, and answer all your questions about this medical revolution.

A stimulating account of interest to all students of neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology or biology — and of immense value to ‘first timers’ including undergraduates and A-level students. Written by one of the UK’s leading brain science experts, it traces the relationship between the ions, membranes and pumps of the brain and our thoughts, senses, feelings, impulses and consciousness. The book deals with such tantalising questions as: What are the ‘locks and keys’ of the brain? How does memory work and why do we forget? Why do we sleep, dream, and hopefully wake-up ready to go? How do fears, threats and nightmares penetrate our mental defences, or drugs, alcohol, psychedelics and medicines improve or hinder our thoughts, actions or behaviour? Are our eyes connected to the brain and why do we sometimes see things that aren’t there? Or hear ‘voices’? The book also explains how we can ‘see inside’ the brain, why we sometimes make a fool of ourselves, may have near death experiences and whether epilepsy is an ‘affliction of the Gods.’ Similarly what scientists know about the differences between delusion and schizophrenia; or the links between worry, anxiety, depression, mania and euphoria. It also covers obsession, stress and repetitive behaviour — just some of many topics dealt with within its revealing pages. An expert, scientific but simple guide.

This Handbook brings together and integrates comprehensively the core approaches to fear and anxiety. Its four sections: Animal models; neural systems; pharmacology; and clinical approaches, provide a range of perspectives that interact to produce new light on these important and sometimes dysfunctional emotions. Fear and anxiety are analyzed as patterns that have evolved on the basis of their adaptive functioning in response to threat. These patterns are stringently selected, providing a close fit with environmental situations and events; they are highly conservative across mammalian species, producing important similarities, along with some systematic differences, in their human expression in comparison to that of nonhuman mammals. These patterns are described, with attention to both adaptive and maladaptive components, and related to new understanding of neuroanatomic, neurotransmitter, and genetic mechanisms. Although chapters in the volume acknowledge important differences in views of fear and anxiety stemming from animal vs. human research, the emphasis of the volume is on a search for an integrated view that will facilitate the use of animal models of anxiety to predict drug response in people; on new technologies that will enable direct evaluation of biological mechanisms in anxiety disorders; and on strengthening the analysis of anxiety disorders as biological phenomena.
- Integrates animal and human research on fear and anxiety
- Presents emerging and developing fields of human anxiety research including imaging of anxiety disorders, the genetics of anxiety, the pharmacology of anxiolysis, recent developments in classification of anxiety disorders, linking these toanimal work
- Covers basic research on innate and conditioned responses to threat
- Presents work from the major laboratories, on fear learning and extinction
- Reviews research on an array of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems related to fear and anxiety
- Compares models, and neural systems for learned versus unlearned responses to threat
- Relates the findings to the study, diagnostics, and treatment of anxiety disorders, the major source of mental illness in modern society (26 % of Americans are affected by anxiety disorders!)

For over thirty years the benzodiazepines monopolised not only the anxiolytic market but also clinical and animal research in anxiety. Indeed many animal tests developed since the 1960s have been optimised for the benzodiazepines and some programmes have even screened candidates as potential anxiolytics on their benzodiazepine-like side-effects rather than their anxiolytic activity. With the realisation of the drawbacks of the benzodiazepines, namely their potential for tolerance and dependency, there has been a renewed interest in alternative anxiolytics both from existing drugs such as the tricyclic and monoamine oxidase antidepressants and from newer agents such as buspirone. In addition anxiety is no longer considered to be a unique entity but rather an umbrella term for a series of specific anxiety disorders such as panic disorder without or with agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, social phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These new clinical categories have opened another dimension in the therapy of anxiety requiring the optimisation of treatments for different syndromes. This book is a critical review of today's anxiolytics and those that may become the anxiolytics of tomorrow. What is clear is that currently there are few clinically satisfactory alternatives to the benzodiazepines for the treatment of acute anxiety. For chronic anxiety, it is generally agreed that benzodi azepines are not the treatment of first choice. The tricyclic and monoamine oxidase antidepressants, the serotonin reuptake inhibitors and buspirone offer better solutions for chronic anxiety but they are still far from being ideal."

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be one of the most disabling of all the anxiety disorders and is frequently misdiagnosed and ineffectively treated. It is also an area in which there have been recent major advances. This book sets out to solve this problem, presenting doctors with practical guidance and at the same time a state-of-the-art summary of all the latest developments.

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ALCOHOL AND YOUR HEALTH

Alcohol - a simple molecule that can induce so much pleasure and pain at the same time... As the most harmful drug in the UK, it has a profound and wide-reaching impact on our health and on society at large. Drink? is the first book of its kind, written by a scientist and rooted in 40 years of medical research and hands-on experience treating patients. Professor David Nutt cuts through the noise to explain the long- and short-term effects of alcohol, makes complex science digestible and takes readers through its journey inside the body and brain from the very first sip.

Drink? holds the key to all the questions you want to know the answers to, covering mental health, sleep, hormones, fertility and addiction. It sheds light on what 'responsible drinking' truly means and equips us with the essential knowledge we all need to make rational, informed decisions about our consumption now and in the future.

For over thirty years the benzodiazepines monopolised not only the anxiolytic market but also clinical and animal research in anxiety. Indeed many animal tests developed since the 1960s have been optimised for the benzodiazepines and some programmes have even screened candidates as potential anxiolytics on their benzodiazepine-like side-effects rather than their anxiolytic activity. With the realisation of the drawbacks of the benzodiazepines, namely their potential for tolerance and dependency, there has been a renewed interest in alternative anxiolytics both from existing drugs such as the tricyclic and monoamine oxidase antidepressants and from newer agents such as buspirone. In addition anxiety is no longer considered to be a unique entity but rather an umbrella term for a series of specific anxiety disorders such as panic disorder without or with agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, social phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These new clinical categories have opened another dimension in the therapy of anxiety requiring the optimisation of treatments for different syndromes. This book is a critical review of today's anxiolytics and those that may become the anxiolytics of tomorrow. What is clear is that currently there are few clinically satisfactory alternatives to the benzodiazepines for the treatment of acute anxiety. For chronic anxiety, it is generally agreed that benzodi azepines are not the treatment of first choice. The tricyclic and monoamine oxidase antidepressants, the serotonin reuptake inhibitors and buspirone offer better solutions for chronic anxiety but they are still far from being ideal."

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CANNABIS AND YOUR HEALTH Underpinned by his two-year research trial in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, involving up to 20,000 patients, which will create Europe's largest body of evidence on the plant's medicinal qualities - Professor David Nutt and his team of scientists will break the mould on the way we use Cannabis for our health in the future. In David's first ground-breaking book on the subject, he will cover its impact of all areas of the body and the brain and its effective use for treatment of illness from chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and PTSD, to anxiety and depression. This is the essential knowledge that cuts through the noise and give us evidence-based information that will change people's lives.

For half a century the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has dominated ill-conceived approaches to the prohibition of drugs and the criminalisation of many offenders. Wilful blindness to scientific facts has distorted the dispensation of justice, prevented lifesaving investigation, sidelined critics and thwarted advocates of politically inconvenient drugs law reform. This once in an epoch review by experts from a range of disciplines shows how lawmakers and the media have ignored the scientific evidence to sustain badly founded rhetoric in favour of blanket bans, punishment and the marginalisation of opponents. Countless individuals (including the vulnerable, deprived, addicted and mentally ill) have therefore suffered unnecessarily. This, the most comprehensive critique of the 1971 Act yet, rests on the combined learning of leading medical, scientific, psychiatric, academic, legal, drug safety and other specialists to provide sound reasons to re-think half a century of bad law.

Addictions have increased markedly in contemporary societies over the past decades. As well as widely acknowledged issues surrounding illegal substance addictions, there are increasing numbers of problems related to behavioural addictions such as the use of legal substances such as antidepressants and amphetamines. These addictions are concerning for a range of public policy fields, not least, public health and social cohesion. As a result, cohesive governance of addictive substances and behaviours is paramount to future public policy. This book is based on the findings of a five year, multidisciplinary project (Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe - Reframing Addictions Project) studying the pace and impact of addictions in Europe, and is the concluding volume in the Governance of Addictive Substances and Behaviours series. Authored by 11 leading figures in the fields of public health, psychology, sociology, psychiatry, addiction studies, epidemiology, and social and public policy, the book takes a truly comprehensive approach to the study of the current state of addiction governance in Europe and proposals for a future governance framework. No one country has yet got governance polices right. The project's outcome is a plan for the redesign of addictions governance, which includes amendments to key metrics used in research, promoting individual-level to society-level scope of understanding in policy approaches, and bringing the impact of dependency on societal well-being to the fore. New Governance of Addictive Substances and Behaviours is an unprecedented study, both in terms of international reach and scope of issues addressed. It will be a key resource for anyone with an interest in research-driven European policy change in public health and the field of addictive substances and behaviours.

In the past two decades, there have been astonishing advances in our understanding of the neurobiological basis and nature of drug addiction. We now know the initial molecular sites of action, at identified receptors, of virtually all of the major drugs of abuse including cocaine, heroin, and amphetamine, as well as legal drugs such as nicotine and alcohol. We also understand the main components of a 'reward system' and its connections to major brain regions involved in motivation and emotion, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.
The Neurobiology of Addiction describes the latest advances in our understanding of addiction. It brings together world class researchers to debate the nature and extent of addiction, as well as its causes, consequences, and treatment. The focus of the book is on the brain processes underlying addiction, in terms of neural systems, neurochemical basis, and molecular changes. Several types of addiction are discussed ranging from illicit drugs - cocaine, amphetamine, and heroin to legal drugs - alcohol and nicotine. In addition, it explores increasingly common behavioural addictions such as gambling and obesity. Included are chapters on vulnerability to addiction, genetic factors, opponent motivational processes, animal models, relapse, cognitive deficits associated with drug abuse, new pharmacological treatments, and current controversies concerning different neuropsychological theories of addiction. Throughout, it reports on cutting edge research using brain imaging, and state of the art molecular methodology.
The book will make fascinating reading for students and teachers in the field of neuroscience, pharmacology and psychology, as well as experts in the field.

Depression is a major cause of morbidity throughout the world. Given that between 8 and 12% of the population (in most countries) will suffer from depression at some point in their lives, it is clearly a significant public health problem. As our knowledge of this illness has expanded in recent years, it has become clear that depression can no longer be viewed as a simple disorder of the brain. It has to be seen as a series of behavioural and biological changes that span mind, brain, genes, and body - indeed affecting both psychological and physical health. This book brings together world leaders in research on depression, to discuss, for the first time, in an interdisciplinary setting, both classical and innovative ideas to understand this devastating disorder. It presents neurobiological, psychological, genetic and evolutionary models, with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms linking the brain to the endocrine and the immune systems, and therefore linking depression to physical health. Opening with a powerful, personal, account of depression, that conveys something of the all-consuming, debilitating, nature of this illness, the book then presents cutting edge research from those at the frontiers of work in this area. The book will be valuable for all psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and neuroscientists seeking a state-of-the-art of this global problem

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CANNABIS AND YOUR HEALTH Underpinned by his two-year research trial in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, involving up to 20,000 patients, which will create Europe's largest body of evidence on the plant's medicinal qualities - Professor David Nutt and his team of scientists will break the mould on the way we use Cannabis for our health in the future. In David's first ground-breaking book on the subject, he will cover its impact of all areas of the body and the brain and its effective use for treatment of illness from chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and PTSD, to anxiety and depression. This is the essential knowledge that cuts through the noise and give us evidence-based information that will change people's lives.