Free From Addiction: Facing yourself and Embracing Recovery
Written by Morteza Khaleghi with Constance Gove
Published by Palgrave imprint of Macmillan.
ISBN10: 0230606113
ISBN13: 9780230606111
Review by Linda Yau
Addictions are something that inflicts one in five Americans, and this can lead to family heartbreaks and tragedies. In the context of Free From Addiction, addiction is a negative aspect that must be cured of. Addictions are usually caused by an emotional trauma, that an individual would try to escape from, either with the use of alcohol or drugs (either legal or illegal). I had a hard time reading through this book, it was an definitely a self-help book for those who can use this book, and are use to reading these type of books. The author of this book is a medical doctor that founded a clinic on the Western Coast to treat those that had addictions. He gathers enough facts and case studies of patients that was treated at the clinic to write this book.
Parts of the book cover defining what addictions is, what misconceptions there are, what are signs of addictions. Then there is a section considering how the brain is changed as the body gets use to the addiction side effects. That is why there is a mandatory detox period. Recovering from addictions is difficult, as there are easily relapse periods. But what can influence the individual is the environment they are in, and the attitudes of their families.
There are also chapters within the book that mention how soon is it or what risks are there to intervening on the treatment of the individual. As with the courses of action to try and treat addiction. Should the individual choose either therapy or medication? What risks are there for medication, and what medicine treatments are offered?
Now that I sufficiently explained the contents of this self-help book, what criticism can I say about this book? There weren’t any more recommended reading, so the basics of this book, was on the clinic and the doctor’s personal experience. Should this book be considered as an empirical and vanity free book then? The judgment should be what you think then? If you have any addictions, that is considered bad for your health, is this the self-help book for you or what?