Book Review: Why Can ’ t I Stop?

What if you had a pint of ice cream for dinner last night and spent three hours on social media? You probably wouldn’t hear any judgment at work the next day. In fact, your colleagues might nod and smile because they’ve been there. But what if you drank a fifth of vodka and gambled away your mortgage? No one’s laughing now. Instead they’re judging you. “How could you do such a thing?” they would ask. “Why didn’t you control yourself?” Any number of behaviors, whether socially acceptable — like eating and being on the internet — or not quite as acceptable, can turn into an addiction. In Why Can’t I Stop? Reclaiming Your Life from a Behavioral Addiction, Grant, Odlaug, and Chamberlain review commonly known addictions in an easy-to-understand guide. The book is a great introduction for the layperson who wonders, “Why don’t they just stop?” It’s an equally good overview for clinicians like myself who are not actively working in the addictions field. After providing some basic information about addictions, the authors focused on gambling, stealing, sex, the internet, food, shopping, hair pulling and skin picking, before wrapping up with some general helpful advice for family members. Although some of the information in Why Can’t I Stop? was repetitive, the repetition did make it a good reference for people who may only want to read the most personally relevant chapter. Each chapter is laid out in the same way — sharing why we need ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Binge Eating Book Reviews Compulsive Gambling Disorders Eating Disorders General Medications Psychology Substance Abuse Treatment behavior books on addiction books on treatment Brian Odlaug Drug Addict Source Type: news