A life-changing book for anyone caught in the whirlpool of a behavioral addiction.
At some point in our lives, we all engage in behaviors that are risky, irrational, or unwise. We might find it exciting and temporarily rewarding to gamble on the lottery or impulsively buy an expensive gadget. But just as substances like alcohol and narcotics have the potential to become addictive, so do certain behaviors. A person addicted to gambling, shopping, the internet, food, or picking at their skin may suffer shame in the shadows while their behavior consumes time and energy and disrupts their life. Some people with behavioral addictions lose their family, job, savings, and home. With a physical basis in the brain, behavioral addictions are serious illnesses—but simply willing yourself to stop is usually not enough.
Why Cant I Stop? is for anyone who has a behavioral addiction, as well as their supportive families and friends. Examining seven of the most common and serious addictions—gambling, sex, stealing, internet use, shopping and buying, hair pulling and skin picking, and food—the authors bring together cutting-edge research to describe behavioral addiction, its causes, and how it can be diagnosed and treated.
Featuring patient stories of behavioral addiction and recovery, as well as information about treatment centers, this compassionate guide will help readers better understand the complicated issues surrounding these addictions and teach family members how to help the addicted person while helping themselves.
Samuel R. Chamberlain, MD, PhD, is a clinical lecturer and psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge. He is a coauthor of Clinical Guide to Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.
Jon E. Grant, JD, MD, MPH, is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Chicago and the coauthor of Stop Me Because I Cant Stop Myself: Taking Control of Impulsive Behavior. He is a coauthor of Clinical Guide to Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.
Brian L. Odlaug, PhD, MPH, is a visiting researcher in public health at the University of Copenhagen. He is a coauthor of Clinical Guide to Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.
Preface
1. Introduction
2. What Does Behavioral Addiction Mean?
3. Gambling
4. Stealing
5. Sex
6. Internet
7. Food
8. Shopping and Buying
9. Hair Pulling and Skin Picking
10. Causes of Behavioral Addictions
11. How Can Family Members and Friends Help?
Resources
Index
This book provides a great insight into some relatively unknown and misunderstood areas. It is clearly and systematically laid out, following a pattern for each addiction that includes how a diagnosis is made, how common is the disorder, key aspects, and treatment options and treatment recommendations.
—Nursing Times
Here is an authoritative manual of common additions. . . This book is highly recommended for the practical instructions and the frank discussions of what may have caused these situations and how to get them under control.
—M.G. Paregian
This book will be illuminating, if you have one of these behavioral addictions or if you know someone with these problems. With clarity, simplicity, every behavioral addiction is explained with clarity, vividly,offering answers like the best approaches for removing it from the life of your beloved ones or from your one. Highly recommended.
—Al Femminile
