Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: family and friends, the first responders to the addiciton crisis -- What is addiction?. A bewildering illness ; What makes someone an addict, as opposed to a heavy drinker or a recreational user ; How addiction affects the brain ; Why do some people become addicts and others don't? ; So is addiction a disease? (and if not, what is it?) ; Why do people get addicted to one particular substance and not others? ; What about gambling addiciton, sex addiction, etc.? -- Living with an addict. How addicts behave ; How loved ones are affected ; Denial, enabling, and codependency ; The stigma of addiction ; Strategies to get a loved one into treatment ; How to cope when a loved one is refusing treatment ; Dealing with a child who is an addict ; Dealing with a spouse who is an addict ; Dealing with a parent who is an addict -- Keeping an addict out of trouble. Can an employee be fired for having an addiction? ; Drug courts and other ways to keep an addict out of jail ; Using civil commitment to keep an addict safe ; More ways to protect an addict from harm -- How treatment works. Can addicts get well without treatment? ; A brief overview of treatment options ; What really happens in detox? ; What really happens in rehab? ; How to find a good rehab and pay for it ; Psychotherapy approaches that are used for addicts ; Drugs that treat alcohol abuse ; Drugs that treat opioid abuse ; Does Alcoholics Anonymous actually work? ; AA-type groups for addictions other than alcohol ; Alternative support groups for people who don't like AA ; When an addict has other mental health problems -- What to expect in recovery. What to expect in early recovery ; What causes relapse? ; How to prevent relapse ; What to do if a relapse happense ; Managing addiction as a long-term chronic illness.