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Title details for Undoing Drugs by Maia Szalavitz - Available

Undoing Drugs

The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction

by Maia Szalavitz
Samantha Desz
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
From "one of the bravest, smartest writers about addiction anywhere" (Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author)—the untold story of harm reduction, a surprisingly simple idea with enormous power
Drug overdoses now kill more Americans annually than guns, cars or breast cancer. But we have tried to solve this national crisis with policies that only made matters worse. In the name of "sending the right message," we have maximized the spread of infectious disease, torn families apart, incarcerated millions of mostly Black and Brown people—and utterly failed to either prevent addiction or make effective treatment for it widely available.

There is another way, one that is proven to work. However, it runs counter to much of the received wisdom of our criminal and medical industrial complexes. It is called harm reduction. Developed and championed by an outcast group of people who use drugs and by former users and public health geeks, harm reduction offers guidance on how to save lives and improve health. And it provides a way of understanding behavior and culture that has relevance far beyond drugs.

In a spellbinding narrative rooted in an urgent call to action, Undoing Drugs tells the story of how a small group of committed people changed the world, illuminating the power of a great idea. It illustrates how hard it can be to take on widely accepted conventional wisdom—and what is necessary to overcome this resistance. It is also about how personal, direct human connection and kindness can inspire profound transformation. Ultimately, Undoing Drugs offers a path forward—revolutionizing not only the treatment of addiction, but also our treatment of behavioral and societal issues.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 27, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781549122590
      • File size: 405072 KB
      • Duration: 14:03:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      July 1, 2021
      An overview of--and advocacy for--"harm reduction" in addressing drug addiction. Journalist Szalavitz opens with a grim moment of autobiography: "I had no intention of quitting. I'd only just been introduced to the glories of shooting speedballs, a seemingly divine mixture of cocaine and heroin. I wanted more." Like most addicts, she wasn't interested in anything but chasing the high. Thankfully, someone in the room advised her, in those years of the raging AIDS epidemic, not to share needles but, if she had to do so, to run bleach through the syringe and wash the injection point. That, Szalavitz writes, was her introduction to "harm reduction," a variation on the Hippocratic oath that "works to minimize the damage that may be associated with substance use." Forms of that damage are many--not just the physical effects of addiction and the danger of numerous diseases, but also social stigma, poverty, and imprisonment. "A big form of harm reduction is keeping people out of jail," notes one activist, "because jail is really harmful." Urging that harm reduction is a form of "radical empathy," the author offers numerous case studies in its practical application over the years--the working-class addicts who educated British doctors in how to treat the illness. One positive outcome was the widespread availability of naloxone, the overdose-fighting drug; ironically, one of its key proponents died of a fentanyl overdose with a strong element of PTSD attached. "Policies to change risky behavior cannot be more harmful than the behavior they seek to alter," Szalavitz sensibly remarks, noting that efforts to contain drugs such as opioids have driven users to more dangerous street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. A controversial but empathetic argument for humanizing the treatment of those locked in substance abuse.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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