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Craving for Ecstasy : How Our Passions Become Addictions and What We Can Do About Them
Alcohol, tobacco, sex, food. . .escape the pleasure trap and regain control of your life!
The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. These authors know their stuff, and they make a compelling case. . . .All in all, Craving for Ecstasy is a challenging, well-considered analysis.
?Los Angeles Times
Milkman and Sunderwirth offer a new and different perspective from which to understand a very complex and confusing pattern of human behavior. Their ideas are vibrant, provocative, stimulating, and written for a public that is demanding a better explanation.
?Howard J. Shaffer, director, Center for Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and The Cambridge Hospital
Addictive behavior goes far beyond the compulsive use of drugs and alcohol. It is possible to become addicted to what may seem a harmless pleasure such as sex, jogging, watching television, or eating. In this powerful book?written in easy-to-understand language?two scientific researchers, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, explain the biology, chemistry, and psychology of the universal desire for pleasure and escape. For example, they reveal how the brain produces mind-altering
substances and what the skydiver has in common with the heroin addict. But, most importantly, with the use of a self-assessment test and an invaluable guide for treatment, the authors show what steps you can take to regain control of your life.
The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. These authors know their stuff, and they make a compelling case. . . .All in all, Craving for Ecstasy is a challenging, well-considered analysis.
?Los Angeles Times
Milkman and Sunderwirth offer a new and different perspective from which to understand a very complex and confusing pattern of human behavior. Their ideas are vibrant, provocative, stimulating, and written for a public that is demanding a better explanation.
?Howard J. Shaffer, director, Center for Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and The Cambridge Hospital
Addictive behavior goes far beyond the compulsive use of drugs and alcohol. It is possible to become addicted to what may seem a harmless pleasure such as sex, jogging, watching television, or eating. In this powerful book?written in easy-to-understand language?two scientific researchers, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, explain the biology, chemistry, and psychology of the universal desire for pleasure and escape. For example, they reveal how the brain produces mind-altering
substances and what the skydiver has in common with the heroin addict. But, most importantly, with the use of a self-assessment test and an invaluable guide for treatment, the authors show what steps you can take to regain control of your life.
222 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 1998
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March 26, 2014
Full disclosure. Dr. Harvey Milkman was a professor of mine in college. But, we are peers ... and when I read this book for a course: "Abnormal Psychology" he was not my teacher. (The doctor was off doing something else ... research ... maybe?) What a crock, I thought, can't even teach his own class. Then I got into the text and - Oh shit - the man knows what he is talking about. It, CRAVING FOR ECSTASY, has been around since we humans have. The "Pleasure Principle," Freud called it. Social Psychologists have determined it is one of two primary human motivators - to feel good. New Age gurus are down. Evolutionary Psychologists are down. Evolutionary Biologists are down. Madison Avenue geeks are down. Everybody, knows this is true! The Question is dear doctor: Is it biological, spiritual, both? Do we have a choice? Is there really such a thing as a "drug of choice?"
Displaying 1 of 1 review