Dealing with Addiction: Why the 20th Century Was Wrong

by Peter Ferentzy

Dr. Peter Ferentzy, an addiction expert who has lived the life of a crack addict, reveals the ugly truth: the dominant approach to drug and alcohol addictions has hurt-and even killed-more people than it has helped. "Hitting bottom," "abstinence," and other buzzwords are often code for approaches that promote degradation, rape, and death-and on a scale that really amounts to genocide.

108 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2011

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A provocative and informed response to mainstream views on substance abuse treatment

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a bunch of terrific information in this book, but Ferentzy needs an editor and he would certainly reach a larger audience if he toned down his outrage a bit. Well, perhaps not! Maybe the first step is outrage, for the main reason I was drawn to this book is that I was looking for something about addiction that was outside the box, and it seems that outrage is what made Ferentzy write. I was sick of reading and hearing the traditional recovery gobbledy-gook and he is obviously as fed up as me. Just like I believe an alternative methods of education, I do not believe there is a one-size-fits-all when it comes to managing addictions. I am fascinated with this subject, and I feel like Ferentzy nailed some of the things that seem true to me. His discussion of "harm reduction" and "moderation management" for instance are top-notch. He also criticizes the 12-step construct of "powerlessness" with intelligence and logic. And I love the way he emphasizes the need for relationship support and how he deconstructs the notion of "co-dependency," ripping it apart as a feature of our individualistic culture. The man is smart and he has carefully studied the research on addiction. But his tone is at times a turn off even though I can appreciate the intention behind it.