West, Robert and Hardy, Ainsley. Oxford, U.K.: Blackwell Publishing, Addiction Press, 2006. 244 pages. ISBN: 1405113596
An understanding of addiction theory is vital to understanding addiction itself. This book, designed for students, practitioners and researchers, takes theory development from a simple 'rational addiction model', adding elements such as compulsion, self-control and habit, to explain the 'big observations' in the field. As well as explaining and evaluating the arguments of each of the prevailing schools of thought, the book develops a new, synthetic theory of addiction that brings together the diverse elements of current models. The book: 1) Presents a digest of major existing theories in one volume; 2) Develops a new synthetic theory of addiction; 3) Recognizes the diversity of the experience of addiction; 4) Discusses factors at the level of both the individual and populations; and 5) Provides key recommendations for the development of effective interventions.
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