In this straightforward self-help guide, psychologist and addiction therapist Peele (The Truth about Addiction and Recovery) argues that, contrary to popular belief, the best way to overcome addiction is not through treatment in rehab centers or in formal groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, but rather through self-efficacy and self-reliance.

This book is a guide for the one million-plus Americans per year who face coerced religious indoctrination in the guise of alcohol or drug treatment. It outlines legal strategies and existing court decisions and shows how useless and sometimes harmful 12-step treatment can be. It also contains a considerable amount of material on the routine violation of standard medical ethics by addiction treatment providers, and examples of such violations.

"A courageous indictment of the destructive mindset that all deviant behavior is a disease. Peele offers mindful alternatives to those suffering from addictions and to professionals seeking to help them." (Ellen Langer, professor of psychology, Harvard University)

Reader: With the exception of Nancy Friday's JEALOUSY, not since Bradshaw's HOMECOMING, published in 1991, has a book with a psychological theme sent such powerful vibrations through me, forcing me to look again at my life.

"A tour de force, a spectacular effort of research and understanding. This book gives us the courage to bypass disease notions to deal with intrapsychic, family system, and social and cultural dynamics in addiction." (David Cook, Counseling and Psychological Services, University of Wisconsin)

The growth of addiction treatment in the United States, predicated on the idea that alcoholism and addictions of all kinds are diseases, is a public-relations triumph, and not a triumph of reason or science.

Stanton Peele, America's foremost critic of the addiction treatment industry, talks about sex addicts, why Alcoholics Anonymous doesn't work, and why the US is obsessed with finding new psychological disorders.

In order to understand the nature of the pleasure alcohol produces, and the role that pleasure plays in healthy and unhealthy drinking, Stanton Peele organized the program for the conference, "Permission for Pleasure" for the International Center for Alcohol Policies.

It is not unreasonable to look for addiction between lovers when psychologists find the roots of drug addiction in childhood dependency needs and stunted family relationships.