Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Challenging both the idea of the addict's 'broken brain' and the notion of a simple 'addictive personality,' [this book] offers a radical ... new perspective, arguing that addictions are learning disorders and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention, and policy. Like autistic traits, addictive behaviors fall on a spectrum--and they can be a normal response to an extreme situation. By illustrating what addiction is, and is not, the book [posits that] timing, history, family, peers, culture, and chemicals come together to create both illness and recovery"--,Provided by publisher.

All Ages.