Throughout the African American community, individuals and organizations ranging from churches to schools to drug treatment centers are fighting the widespread use of crack cocaine. To put that fight in a larger cultural context, Doin' Drugs explores historical patterns of alcohol and drug use from pre-slavery Africa to present-day urban America. William Henry James and Stephen Lloyd Johnson document the role of alcohol and other drugs in traditional African cultures, among African slaves before the American Civil War, and in contemporary African American society, which has experienced the epidemics of marijuana, heroin, crack cocaine, and gangs since the beginning of this century. The authors zero in on the interplay of addiction and race to uncover the social and psychological factors that underlie addiction. James and Johnson also highlight many culturally informed programs, particularly those sponsored by African American churches, that are successfully breaking the patterns of addiction. The authors hope that the information in this book will be used to train a new generation of counselors, ministers, social workers, nurses, and physicians to be better prepared to face the epidemic of drug addiction in African American communities.

Throughout the African American community, individuals and organizations ranging from churches to schools to drug treatment centers are fighting the widespread use of crack cocaine. To put that fight in a larger cultural context, Doin' Drugs explores historical patterns of alcohol and drug use from pre-slavery Africa to present-day urban America. William Henry James and Stephen Lloyd Johnson document the role of alcohol and other drugs in traditional African cultures, among African slaves before the American Civil War, and in contemporary African American society, which has experienced the epidemics of marijuana, heroin, crack cocaine, and gangs since the beginning of this century. The authors zero in on the interplay of addiction and race to uncover the social and psychological factors that underlie addiction. James and Johnson also highlight many culturally informed programs, particularly those sponsored by African American churches, that are successfully breaking the patterns of addiction. The authors hope that the information in this book will be used to train a new generation of counselors, ministers, social workers, nurses, and physicians to be better prepared to face the epidemic of drug addiction in African American communities.

'Essential' Adam Rutherford, bestselling author of How to Argue With a Racist 'In an area where factual accuracy is often rejected in favour of moralising or panicking this book is a vitally useful and frequently fascinating' Robin Ince __________ Drugs. We've all done them. Whether it's a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, a cigarette or a sleeping pill. But how well do we understand the effects of the drugs we take - legal or illegal? Say Why to Drugs investigates the science behind recreational drugs- debunking common myths and misconceptions, as well as containing the most recent scientific research. Looking at a range of drugs, this book provides a clear understanding of how drugs work and what they're really doing to your mind and body. Along the way you will find out why ketamine is on the WHO's list of essential medicines, why some researchers hope MDMA could treat PTSD, and much more. Enlightening, entertaining, and thought-provoking, Say Why to Drugs is a compelling read that will surprise and educate proponents on both sides of the drugs debate. __________ A definitive and authoritative guide to drugs and why we get high from the creator of the top-rated podcast, Say Why to Drugs.

This report assesses the societal costs of substance abuse--especially cocaine and crack addition--and dropping out of school. It is organized around three themes: (1) the impact of cocaine and crack abuse in terms of crime, public spending, and lost productivity; (2) policies that move addicts away from crack; and (3) policies that reduce the high school dropout rate. Based on extant literature, the report quantifies a bottom-line cost of drug abuse to have been between $60.4 billion and $124.9 billion in 1988, a figure that reflects the costs of health care, economic loss, and law enforcement relating to substance abuse. Impact also is assessed in terms of private and social issues. In evaluating the success of policies that have effectively moved addicts away from drugs, important questions concerning criteria for success, motivation for drug use, and addiction are explored. Law enforcement, treatment, educational, and prevention policies are evaluated. The current literature on testing, outpatient treatment, and peer programs to reduce the motivation toward drug abuse and to move addicts away from cocaine and crack is reviewed. In response to the issue of dropout prevention, the report recommends a rethinking of the structure of high schools within a collaborative context involving parents, schools, and communities. Included in the report are a working bibliography and a community service booklet that deals with the issues of this report on a local community level. (NB)

My Kid is Doing Drugs and Got Arrested: Now What? is my story of hope and success. The book gives information about the widespread societal problem of teen substance abuse. It explains how teens become hopelessly addicted to drugs and the horrible feeling of craving that drives the teen to use drugs. It alerts parents to the subtle signs of substance abuse and explains the connection with co-existing mental illness. More importantly, I tell my personal story of my son, Matts rock bottom drive into the depths of addiction and his coexisting bipolar disorder, and how as a family we dealt with it. You will learn about Matts arrest, rehab, and recovery told from my perspective as a mother and health care provider. I offer insight into the feelings of fear, hopelessness, and failure as a parent. You will learn how this problem affected my family and how we weathered the storm. I use stories that illustrate important issues for parents to recognize in their teens. Suggestions for treatment are offered

Provides information about the history of drugs and the reasons that people take drugs.

In this highly provocative book, Stephen Ray Flora maintains that we have been deceived into believing that whatever one's psychological problem—from anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, depression, phobias, sleeping and sexual difficulties to schizophrenia—there is a drug to cure us. In contrast, he argues that these problems are behavioral, not chemical, and he advocates behavioral therapy as an antidote. He makes the controversial claim that for virtually every psychological difficulty, behavioral therapy is more effective than drug treatment. Not only that, but the side effects of behavioral therapy, rather than being harmful like many drugs, are actually beneficial, often facilitating self-empowerment through learning functional life skills.

This valuable book expands your knowledge about drug-taking behavior to better plan strategies to prevent or reduce drug-taking among youth. The findings from this unique study have important implications for researchers, educators, practitioners, and local and state policymakers and planners for the development of initiatives for addressing smoking, drinking, and drug use among early adolescents and teenagers. Although the focus is on Alaska, the findings generalize to comparably aged youth in general; moreover, comparisons with findings from national studies and other states provide interesting results.