Warren K. Bickel - Böcker

Conventional wisdom once held that the demand for addictive substances like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs was unlike that for any other economic good and, therefore, unresponsive to traditional market forces. Recently, however, researchers from two disparate fields, economics and behavioural psychology, have found that increases in the overall price of an addictive substance can significantly reduce both the number of users and the amounts those users consume. Changes in the "full price" of addictive substances - including monetary value, time outlay, effort to obtain, and potential penalties for illegal use - yield marked variations in behavioural outcomes and demand. This book brings these fields of study together and presents an integrated assessment of their data and results. It should serve as a resource in the debates concerning alcohol and drug use and abuse, and the impacts of legalizing illicit drugs.

Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is one of the major public health issues of our time. In the United States, one in five deaths is the result of addictive drug use. This innovative book critically examines drug addiction treatment in the United States. It explores specific challenges (scientific, medical, social, and legal) to reaching the goal that treatment for drug addiction should be as accessible as treatments for diseases of the heart, liver, and lungs which often result from the use of addictive drugs. These essays, written by leaders in addiction science, medicine, and health policy, present diverse and often opposing points of view to foster thought and discussion. The book consists of three parts. Part I examines the emerging science and theories that underlie the development of specific models for treating addiction to illicit opioids and stimulants, alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs.Part II explores the complications raised by the diversity of those with addictions, ranging from pregnant women who use intravenous drugs, young men who abuse methamphetamines, youths who smoke cigarettes, and adults who abuse alcohol to those who smoke marijuana or abuse prescription drugs. Part III provides a detailed analysis of health care, social, and policy issues that challenge our views about addiction and its treatment. It addresses controversial topics such as whether addiction should be considered a disease or a behavior, whether addiction should be handled as a criminal offense or treated as a public health problem, and whether stigmatizing addiction is helpful or not. Throughout the book, compelling examples of addiction art explore the human side of addiction through the lens of visual artists' stunning insights into addiction and recovery. Addiction Treatment provides a solid foundation for understanding addiction as a treatable illness and for establishing a framework for effective treatment in the twenty-first century.

Behavioral economics is a rapidly developing area of psychological science that has synergistically merged microeconomic concepts with behavioral research methods. A driving force behind the growth of behavioral economics has been its recent application to behaviors that significantly affect health. The book examines the latest behavioral economic research on smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, gambling, and other poor health habits, and explores the implications for individual and community interventions and policy directions. This innovative book describes new concepts and methods developed in behavioral economics and applies them to understanding health behavior change. The richness of behavioral economic concepts provides novel methods and measures that lend to an understanding of health behavior that is different from previous work in the field. Featuring contributions from experimental and clinical psychologists and economists, this book will be of interest to a broad range of students and professionals concerned with health behavior, including researchers, clinicians, and policymakers, as well as psychologists, educators, and all those who work with people who are currently attempting to make positive health and lifestyle changes.

Behavioral economics is a rapidly developing area of psychological science that has synergistically merged microeconomic concepts with behavioral research methods. A driving force behind the growth of behavioral economics has been its recent application to behaviors that significantly affect health. The book examines the latest behavioral economic research on smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, gambling, and other poor health habits, and explores the implications for individual and community interventions and policy directions. This innovative book describes new concepts and methods developed in behavioral economics and applies them to understanding health behavior change. The richness of behavioral economic concepts provides novel methods and measures that lend to an understanding of health behavior that is different from previous work in the field. Featuring contributions from experimental and clinical psychologists and economists, this book will be of interest to a broad range of students and professionals concerned with health behavior, including researchers, clinicians, and policymakers, as well as psychologists, educators, and all those who work with people who are currently attempting to make positive health and lifestyle changes.