Contrary to popular belief, addiction isn't a conscious choice. It's a chronic illness, like diabetes or asthma, that responds to treatment and deserves compassion. And yet, too many people expect their loved ones to simply recover on their own without interventions. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and decades of expertise, Dr. Nzinga Harrison reveals the factors that predict one's risk for addiction: biology and heritability, childhood experience, physical environment, injuries and health conditions, discrimination, and cultural influence. With revelatory anecdotes and sobering data, Un-Addiction guides readers to unlearn what they think they know about substance use, undo stigma surrounding addiction, and uncover critical conversations that could end the epidemic.
This book will change how we talk about addiction and fix a broken system. Addiction isn't a conscious choice--it's a chronic illness that responds to treatment and deserves compassion. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and decades of expertise, Dr. Nzinga Harrison reveals the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that predict one's risk for addiction in this groundbreaking new book published amid an escalating overdose crisis. Broken into two parts outlining risks for addiction gained as children, and those we acquire as adults, Un-Addiction: 6 Mind-Changing Conversations That Could Save a Life features conversation-starting anecdotes ("The Accidental Discovery of an Addiction Predictor," "Scrolling Toward Addiction," "How Weathering Any Storm Can With Your Health") paired with sobering data such as findings on how social media and cultural environments can encourage risky substance use, or how adversity increases your chances of chronic illness. The framework of Un-Addiction intentionally guides readers to unlearn what they think they know about substance use, undo stigma surrounding addiction, and uncover solutions that could end the epidemic plaguing our communities. Dr. Harrison synthesizes the latest science on the origins of addiction and provides actionable solutions to address this public health emergency compassionately and effectively. As the cofounder and CEO of Eleanor Health and host of the popular Recover Girl podcast, Dr. Harrison is an in-demand speaker and leading voice on reforming addiction treatment. Her timely insights come as over 20 million individuals struggle with alcohol and drug addictions, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. With predatory phar