THE ADDICTION SOLUTION

From the Chief Medical Officer for the New York State Office of Mental Health, this is a groundbreaking and inspirational book, combining science, policy, and case studies, about solutions to the addiction crisis.

Delivered with warmth, accessibility, and humor, The Addiction Solution is a practical guide through the world of drug abuse and addiction treatment. Bringing together scientific knowledge, policy suggestions, and case studies, Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, Chief Mental Health Officer of the NYS Office of Mental Health, describes our current crisis -- an epidemic of opiate dependence and overdose, as well as widespread use of other substances -- and offers solutions on the level of individuals, families, and communities. In a time where so many people are affected by the addiction epidemic, where 91 people die every day in the United States from an opiate overdose, his decades of wisdom and calm, reasonable advice are more needed than ever before.

With a special, timely focus on opiates, though addressing addiction as a whole, Sederer takes the reader through what counts in addiction treatment and why so many of our current policies, like the lingering remnants of the failed War on Drugs, fail to help both drug users and their wider communities. He identifies a key insight, often overlooked in popular writing about addiction and its treatment -- that people who use drugs do so to meet specific needs, and that drugs, in a limited fashion, serve their users -- and writes with generosity and empathy about the many Americans who use illicit and prescribed substances. Most importantly, he goes on to lay out specific, evidence-based, researched solutions to the problem of drug use, from exercise to therapy to community-wide programs. In this challenging time, his insightful commentary is what we need to move in a new direction with our treatment of the issue of addiction.


Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, is the author of eleven books, seven for professional audiences and four for the lay public and university courses, and over 500 articles in the fields of mental health and the addictions as well as film, TV, theatre and book reviews. He is Medical Editor for Mental Health at The Huffington Post; Adjunct Professor at the Columbia/Mailman School of Public Health; Contributing Writer for US News & World Report; and Chief Medical Officer for the NYS Office of Mental Health, the nation's largest state mental health agency. He is also a monthly regular on Tell Me Everything, the SiriusXM radio show hosted by John Fugelsang. His two most recent books are Improving Mental Health: Four Secrets in Plain Sight (2016) and Controversies in Mental Health and the Addictions (2017).