Say Why to Drugs: Everything You Need to Know About the Drugs We Take and Why We Get High

by Suzi Gage

'Essential' Adam Rutherford, bestselling author of How to Argue With a Racist
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A definitive and authoritative guide to drugs and why we get high from the creator of the top-rated podcast, Say Why to Drugs .

Drugs. We've all done them. Whether it's a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, a cigarette or a sleeping pill. But how well do we understand the effects of the drugs we take - legal or illegal?

Say Why to Drugs investigates the science behind recreational drugs- debunking common myths and misconceptions, as well as containing the most recent scientific research. Looking at a range of drugs, this book provides a clear understanding of how drugs work and what they're really doing to your mind and body.

Along the way you will find out why ketamine is on the WHO's list of essential medicines, why some researchers hope MDMA could treat PTSD, and much more.

Enlightening, entertaining, and thought-provoking, Say Why to Drugs is a compelling read that will surprise and educate proponents on both sides of the drugs debate.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Health, Education, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Anna]

I spotted Say Why to Drugs: Everything You Need to Know About the Drugs We Take and Why We Get High in a pile of books that the library was giving away, presumably due to weeding, and decided to adopt it. I enjoy reading about psychoactive substances, mostly because I'm too much of a control freak to actually take them. I even gave up coffee after realising how badly it was messing up my sleep and digestive system. (I really miss it, but not enough to suffer through daily stomach upsets.) This book is a calm, sensible, factual, and non-judgmental guide to the various substances are consumed in the UK, from alcohol to opioids. I particularly appreciated learning about several drugs I'd either not heard of or didn't know the effects of: kratom, PCP, salvia, and synthetic cathinones. The style is akin to an encyclopedia, covering the short and long-term effects, myths, and medical uses of each substance or group thereof. The book is based on a podcast, but thankfully isn't written like a script. There are a couple of topic-focused sections as well, including one about addiction:

Two people could drink the same amount of alcohol and find it impacts on their life in completely different ways. And what changes a compulsion into an addiction is the potential for the compulsion to cause an individual harm. Without this harm, if a person is regularly or heavily using a substance, you might say they had a dependency on it, or potentially not even that - maybe they simply get enjoyment from regular use of it. Of everyone who tries a drug, from coffee to heroin, LSD to cannabis, MDMA to alcohol, many, if not the majority of people will not become addicted to it. [...]

There is only one substance where a large majority of people who try it will go on to develop addiction. And that is tobacco - specifically cigarettes, where a recent systematic review suggested that around 60 per cent of individuals who try a cigarette will become daily smokers, even if only for a short period of time.

I appreciated how the author treated legal and illegal substances identically, providing neutral information about both. The only obvious authorial agenda is to emphasise that smoking cigarettes is really bad for you and I can well understand why an epidemiologist would want to make that clear. Whether you're planning to take psychoactive substances or not, I recommend Say Why to Drugs. I found it useful and interesting to read an evidence-based summary of what various substances do by an academic researcher in the field.

[Flavia]

This was quite a good ressource about drugs.

[Tom McCluskey]

This reads more like a fact-file on a website than a book. Flecks of personality in the writing but it was lacking so much more.

[Elise Våg]

Fact based, easy read

[Alec Mcallister]

It’s informative but I was a bit disappointed. Her podcasts and interviews are a lot more interesting and engaging. The book is like an appendix to a PhD. She deliberately kept her views out of the book, but it would have been much better if they were there.

[Nick Zuraw]

Really enjoyable, and provided information on substances you'd think you knew all about already - alcohol, tobacco etc

[Dustless Walnut]

Very dry style. Little analysis of why people get high, basically an appendix of definitions of drug types. Perhaps a good intro for the completely drug-ignorant but not very illuminating for me.

[Danaë Paternoster]

Very interesting read. Loved how they focus on the scientific data of studies of each drug/group of drugs.

[Amy]

I bought this book after being a huge fan of Gage's podcast of the same name. I really enjoyed this read both as a compliment to the podcast and on its own. If you're looking for a solid read on drugs, with a general overview of many different popular substances, with an evidence based approach, this is the book for you.

I found some chapters got boring and repetitive, though I think it had more to do with the drugs themselves and my personal interest in them than the writing (as each chapter covers a different drug). The myth-busting section within each chapter is especially useful, and was always very entertaining. The chapters I did like really stood out, and I especially appreciated how the author broke down captivating facts and incredibly interesting studies, opening up a whole new set of knowledge on these particular drugs.

The last chapter on addiction was also quite compelling, and I think complemented the topic quite well, giving it an appropriate ending. Overall, a solid read and a pleasant "trip".

[Barry]

A solid survey and very honestly pragmatic. A credibly British perspective.

[Jonathan Grant]

Pretty informative and well-presented, easy to digest.

[Romina]

This book was really good. It gave me a better insight into drug use and the short and long-term effects of these drugs. Would definitely recommend.

[Matty Benham]

Absolutely fascinating, definitely worth a read!

[Richard]

Very nice reference: a summary page for each drug, and then some history, effects, myths.

[Chainzz .]

It's very interesting and informative. The book is layed out in a simple easy to follow format, it's not to heavy, enjoyable read

[Anna]

Does what it says on the tin :)

[Rebecca]

Very readable, can de dipped in & out of, comes with a glossary, references & further reading. Could have done with tighter editing.

[Olivia]

super interesting

[Naeemah]

Lwk such a fun read and super easy to digest. Loved the format of the book aswell. It was interesting to see how much information on these drugs have changed or evolved since the book was published.

[Annelise Dreifaldt]

very educational & interesting read

[Dylan Holmes]

Very interesting 👅

[gurleen]

i reread this whenever i go through my life depressing episode about quitting everything and after i finsh it just reminds me how stupid this book is

[Dr. Dima]

This book serves as a general and succinct guide to well-known psychoactive drugs such as alcohol, MDMA, LSD, ketamine, caffeine, cannabis, and many more. It consists of 24 chapters that each focus on a drug, covering the drug's short and long term effects, medical uses, myths and misconceptions, and what we still don't know about it. Interspersed between these chapters are short sections that "focus on" related topics such as drugs and mental health, comedowns, depressants, stimulants, etc.⁣
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There are few reasons for why I omitted a star from my rating. Although the book could serve as a reference about drugs for the layperson, there's no index. In addition, I was a bit disappointed with the writing style, which was shallow and dumped down in some places. I also felt the title did not reflect the content of the book as it is not about "Why" we take drugs.⁣
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Regardless, if you are looking to educate yourself about drugs and their effects, this book would serve as a very informative and easy-to-read resource that adopts an evidence-based approach and cites research all throughout. I highly recommend it!⁣

[Monika]

A few years ago I read "Drugs Without the Hot Air" by David Nutt, which was an incredible book about drugs and unfortunately, Suzi Gage's book doesn't compare.

The book is layed out really simply by discussing each drug in alphabetical order, going through short term and long term effects, ending each chapter by debunking common myths.

I found the discussion of the drugs that I did know more about really surface level, like the chapter on alcohol. I felt like I didn't learn that much from it and Gage didn't include information that she included in the podcast of the same name either, which I found quite odd.

Realistically, this book is an extended version of the Talk to Frank website and you'll get the same level of detail in the podcast, which I would actually really recommend!

If you want to find out more about drugs in an interesting and thorough way, I would recommend "Drugs Without the Hot Air", which I honestly wish I reread than read this book for the first time.

[Menna Carey]

this is one of my favourite psychological books i think. other than the fact drugs are a really interesting study topic for me, i loved the way it states what it is, how it works, the harm, and the myths. it makes understanding each drug so much clearer