Lance Dodes – författare

A “revolutionary” look at how addictions work and how people can master their own addictive behaviors (Edward Hallowell, MD).“In a field rife with misinformation, this book represents a bright beacon of light . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly.” —The Psychoanalytic QuarterlyNobody has had an answer for why people with addictions continue to repeat them—until now . . . For more than twenty years, distinguished psychiatrist Dr. Lance Dodes has been successfully helping people master their addictions—alcoholism, compulsive gambling, smoking, sexual addiction, and more—with a radical approach. Dr. Dodes describes how all addictions have, at their heart, unrecognized emotional factors that explain:Why we feel the impulseWhy we feel it when we doWhat alternatives (really) work in that critical momentIn this refreshing book filled with compelling case studies, Dr. Dodes debunks several such widely accepted myths as:Addictions are fundamentally a physical problemPeople with addictions are different from other peopleYou have to hit bottom before you can get wellYou are wasting your time if you ask “why” you have an addiction“Destined to become a classic guide to understanding repetitive, excessive, and self-destructive behavior patterns. The illustrative cases are riveting, entertaining, and illuminating. This book marks a revolution in self-help. In fact, this book belongs on the shelf of every treatment professional facing patients with addictive behaviors.” —Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS, Director, Division of Addictions, Harvard Medical School

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.   AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.   In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.   But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.   The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.   The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem. From the Hardcover edition.