Books - Books: Drugs & Brain Chemistry

[KomodoMK]

Hello all.

I am looking for some insightful books into the effects of drugs on brain chemistry. I would like to know of anything that you have read or someone you know had read and found to be really educational and fun at the same time.

All suggestions are welcome, thanks.

[izzy31]

I like reading about that too, and I have great intrest in learning more and more about the body, as well as what makes it feel what

I've looked in several Borders and Barnes and Nobles bookstores and the only thing they had were perscription drug dictionary books - buying online is about the only way to get them (not that they're restriced or anything) or call up a bookstore and request that they order it and you'll be notified when it comes and you can buy it there. (Not all bookstores do this but Barnes and Nobles does I think)

[~lostgurl~]

The Craving Brain: The Biobalance Approach to Controlling Addiction, by Dr. Ronald A. Ruden, with Marcia Byalick
ISBN 0060186984

craving.jpg

This book is incredibly interesting, SWIM started reading it rehab but has it on order at the moment, will give a book report once she's read the whole thing.

[~lostgurl~]

I was just recommended another book on this topic: "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom" by Jonathan Haidt. It has a non-technical summary of how the brain operates. Though I'm not sure how much, if at all, drugs are mentioned.

happy.jpg

Editorial Review From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, lamented St. Paul, and this engrossing scientific interpretation of traditional lore backs him up with hard data. Citing Plato, Buddha and modern brain science, psychologist Haidt notes the mind is like an "elephant" of automatic desires and impulses atop which conscious intention is an ineffectual "rider." Haidt sifts Eastern and Western religious and philosophical traditions for other nuggets of wisdom to substantiate—and sometimes critique—with the findings of neurology and cognitive psychology. The Buddhist-Stoic injunction to cast off worldly attachments in pursuit of happiness, for example, is backed up by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's studies into pleasure. And Nietzsche's contention that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger is considered against research into post-traumatic growth. An exponent of the "positive psychology" movement, Haidt also offers practical advice on finding happiness and meaning. Riches don't matter much, he observes, but close relationships, quiet surroundings and short commutes help a lot, while meditation, cognitive psychotherapy and Prozac are equally valid remedies for constitutional unhappiness. Haidt sometimes seems reductionist, but his is an erudite, fluently written, stimulating reassessment of age-old issues.

http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypo...2275982&sr=1-1

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Also, previously mentioned book "the Craving Brain" ended up having a huge focus on the success of the AA/NA program. I'd still recommend it for the first few chapters though, but this is where I stopped.