Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior, 12th Edition

by Carl L. Hart, Charles Ksir, Oakley Ray

Designed for the introduction to drugs and substance abuse course as taught in departments of health education, psychology, biology, sociology, and criminal justice, this full-color market-leading text provides the latest information on drugs and their effects on society and human behavior. For over thirty years, instructors and students have relied on it to examine drugs and behavior from the behavioral, pharmacological, historical, social, legal, and clinical perspectives.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, School, Drugs, Textbooks, Science, Reference

512 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1978

Reviews

[Always Pouting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone gave me this book and the version was older so the information in it was mostly what they knew up to 1987 but it was still informative. It was written clearly and you don't need any chemistry or psychology knowledge to read this one. I really enjoyed how clearly he outlined everything we know about drugs based on research, going from rehabilitation to their structures and the reason people do drugs. I also thought the conclusion was accurate because personally I don't think there's a good way to stop people from doing drugs, the best you can do is teach them to use it safely and try to do something about the social problems that lead to problematic drug use.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting historical and scientific information about drugs and the history of drugs relating to our justice system and regulation in the US. If you’re into non-fiction that is educational I highly recommend. You can find older editions for cheap online (the current edition is over $90). I have one to lend out if anyone is interested!

[Jaguar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This textbook is very thorough in its coverage of each drug and the relations of drugs to society and human behavior. I love how the chapters were organized to cover each drug. Section 1 gave a broad overview of drugs us in modern society. Section 2 covered how drugs work and their effect on the nervous system in the human body. Section 3 covered all the "uppers and downer" drugs which includes: stimulants, depressants, inhalants, and medication for mental disorders. Section 4 focused on alcohol, and Section 5 focused on the common legalized drugs such as caffeine, tobacco, dietary supplements, and over the counter drugs. Section 6 covered restricted drugs which includes opioids, hallucinogens, marijuana, and performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. Section 7 covered preventative methods and treatment for those with drug and substance abuse. Overall, if you are interested in learning about marijuana, cocaine, heroin, morphine, caffeine, alcohol, opioids, hallucinogens, and prescription drugs; this book is a great read.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this entire book for my SAB-110 college class. I'm working on my Social Work degree. This is a very enjoyable book, it has a lot of good information and it really opens your eyes to drugs, their affects, and reasons why some may use. I'm a former user so I knew some of the information but some of it was new to me. You won't regret reading this book! This book talks about the treatment of substance use disorders I each chapter, in a "Focus on Treatment" box. It also talks about drug policy, what's successful, and what might not be, from around the world. It also has a bunch of info on Cannabis and the current opioid "crisis." I couldn't stop reading when I would start, although some chapters are a little more interesting than others.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my textbook for my Intro to Pharmacy Technology class. What I expected to be your boring, typical textbook became a useful tool even outside of the realm of Pharm Tech. Rather than demonizing illicit drugs, it gives the reader an objective understanding of where many of our drugs, prescription and otherwise, began, as well as why people use them, medicinally and recreationally. Well worth picking up, even if you don't read it cover-to-cover.

[pjr8888 · Rating 5 out of 5]

used as the master text in my UCB class in ubstance abuse. great text, now updated numerous times. easily accessible complex information. good data and practical information.

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This book did a great job presenting the available research in a way that wasn’t too dense or difficult to read. I think there were some sections that lacked some information, and I found only one assertion that is false - the idea that “[antipsychotics] do not produce drug dependence”(168). The alternative is not yet supported by extensive research, but based on speaking to many medical professionals, research on available literature, and personal experiences I do know that it’s actually not too difficult to become dependent on an antipsychotic.

[Cali Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as text books go, this one was fairly enjoyable. I like the layout and boxes with additional information and examples.

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

A textbook on the same. It would seem to me, with such a dramatic rise in narcotic use in this country that much of this material would be dated by this time.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing!

This book has information that the American public is unaware of. I highly recommend this book for all those who want to help themselves and others.

[Adrian David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para estudiar

Un gran libro para las personas que estudiamos adicciones y queremos apoyar a las personas que sufren esta enfermedad. Recomendable

[Thương Hoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often that you read a textbook that has a lot of humor in it.

[Cem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read chapters 1-7, 9, 11, 14-16 A good textbook for learning about the effects of drugs on brain and laws about drugs.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want a good overview on drugs, and how they work then this is a great start.

[Ryan Temple-Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised how good this textbook actually is. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this for my class. Informative but not boring and an easy read.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook for my Drugs of use and abuse class

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my Intro to Addiction and Addiction Behavior class. I actually did not mind having to read the chapters, because it was written in a way that was fun and easy to understand; and it had links for sites and things to interact and bring the subject really into focus. If you have to read it or even want to know more about addictive behavior, this is the perfect tool for you!! I highly recommend it!

[Heather Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good as far as textbooks go. It was fairly easy to read, and the chapters weren't too dense. This is my first foray into substance abuse books, but I felt like the authors were slanted more towards treatment than punishment. I don't know if that's the general consensus, but I liked that about this book.

[Novy Khayra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is written all in english (so Ido not understand 100% percent, haha). overall I recomend this for my friends specially who works in National narcotic Board (BNN).The narcotic case taken from young american drug use disorder. but, a little bit this has some of similarity with Indonesian drug use disoreder case. and ofcourse for any body who care with this emergency issue

[Linda Branham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm using this book in my Drugs and Behavior Psychology class that I teach
I like the way the chapters are laid out - and the summaries and exercises at the end. The exercises show you what you need to go back and study if you didn;t get it at first reading
The information is current and detailed

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and interesting subject matter. I think I read the 6th edition, and there were quite a few typos. This was a textbook for my Psychology of Drugs and Behavior class, and I actually enjoyed reading. I learned a lot from this book.

[Terrance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers the whole spectrum of drugs, and describes each type very well. If you're curious about drugs, and what the long term effects of them are, this is definately a good read.

[Bob Prophet · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook on drugs and society that academics and layman alike can appreciate.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this class thinking it was going to be eight weeks of hell. Then I started reading this book and found the subject matter was interesting and easy to understand.

[Ambrosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly easy read

It was an enjoyable and easy read for a textbook. Very informative. I actually enjoyed reading it and feel like I retained the information.

[Lara Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book for my Psychology of Drugs and Behavior class. It is easy to read and has a lot of interesting information. I learned a lot from this book.

[Ashley Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dense but quite informative.