The Urge: Our History of Addiction

"The Urge, Our History of Addiction" by Carl Erik Fisher is a very important book for both the clinician, the patient, and any reader with an interest in the sociocultural history of addiction. This book is also a memoir of the author's addiction and recovery and he explores and analyzes how addiction has been viewed and treated over the centuries.Dr. Fisher is an addiction physician and bioethicist. He is also an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York. He maintains a private practice specializing in integrative approaches to addiction. In addition, his writing has appeared in scientific and literary journals.As a clinical social worker, I often have clients with addiction or substance abuse issues. Many of them are in denial and don't realize how their substance use impacts other aspects of their lives. It takes compassionate and focused therapy over time to help them see how their substance abuse is integrated into their choices and actions. Dr. Fisher does a great job of discussing some newer therapeutic interventions such as harm reduction and motivational interviewing that can be used to bring clients through denial. He also values the medical aspects of treatment for opioid addiction.The book is very well-written and accessible to anyone with an interest in the topic. Dr. Fisher explores addiction as it is viewed in philosophy, literature, medicine, psychotherapy, etc. He is widely read and knowledgeable, making the book a real page turner. His own memoirs are personal and intimate, especially when he discusses his family of origin.I recommend this book for any professional who deals with addiction and anyone else who has ever wondered how addiction has been perceived and treated over the ages.

A well researched and engaging read. Dives into many issues including how addiction touches issues like systemic injustice and racism. The authors own story throughout the book made this a difficult one to put down.

I found this book to be compulsively readable and enjoyable. However the further the book went, the more issues I noticed. As someone in 12 step recovery I felt that he had a nuanced understanding of AA but didn't offer and criticism of the 12 steps at all, which seemed odd. I also felt it weird he seemed to really push the idea that most people recover without treatment, without really going into the human cost of people who don't recover without treatment or bringing up the problems with studies that require self reporting from alcoholics and drug addicts. All in all a very entertaining book although not without flaws.

It’s a surprising book. It is literally a history, rather than a self help pop piece, or even a professional’s guide to dealing with addiction. And yet, it provides reliefs, comforts, and acknowledgements to sufferers I’ve never felt in addiction literature before. In the first place, just recognizing the enormously long history of the problem, and numbers of people affected, pierces the isolation, guilt and shame, many sufferers, and their families, feel. That is a significant therapeutic effect on its own.Beyond that, the history makes clear, through the author’s emphasis, the destabilizing social forces that often lead to or support addiction. In my experience, and I’m not a therapist, all the treatments I’ve seen emphasize the therapeutic techniques used in treatment - talk, drugs, mindfulness, whatever - rather than the social constraints that have led to the problem. Again, this perspective asserts what is felt to be true, but not acknowledged in most treatment plans I know. The effect of reading this suppressed truth is, once again, therapeutic.Finally, the history alternates with the author’s, and his family’s, personal history of addiction. Nice people, struggling with life’s problems. Because they are all so relatable, they become a part of the reader’s community in recovery, a deeply appreciated solidarity.And so this is a profoundly therapeutic read, posing as simple history and memoir. It is anything but simple - or rather an expression of the simplicity that only comes with the very deepest knowledge. I’d call this a must read.

This nonfiction book dives into the history of the term "addiction" and what that term means to us as humans, and as Americans, in the past and the present. The author also weaves his own personal stories into the book, which gives it a nice touch and helps the book flow smoothly. I love that I learned a lot about the science of things while also learning about how the author dealt with his own spiral.I went into this book thinking it would be a hard read, what with the subject matter and the author's credentials. Instead, I zipped through it, and found myself bringing it up in conversation. It is very accessible to all types of readers. I recommend this book to anyone who has been touched by addiction or alcoholism, or to anyone interested in the history of the way addiction has been addressed or handled over the years. It is a surprisingly quick read, and definitely thought provoking.

A very interesting journey on the history of addiction. This is a must read if you yourself are in recovery.

I am in long term recovery and relied on AA and a traditional AA-based 28 day inpatient program. I recognize that this means I hold my own biases.That being said, while I really enjoyed the information in this book, I found the flow all over the place. There seemed to be too many simultaneous efforts going on - too many points to make if you will.In the end though I very much enjoyed the overarching messages that there is no one true way to find recovery and as a society we need to do better in making sure whatever a person's path is they can easily access it

The author brings the almost unique perspective of a psychiatrist with an insider's knowledge of the problems of alcoholism and drug addiction. There are a few errors re: AA history. Bill W.s treatments at Towns were NOT paid for by Lois's brother but by Dr. Leonard Strong, husband of Bill's sister Dorothy. Minor stuff, but in a history book, one needs to get these things right.The book is absorbing and well-written.

Amazing overview and deep dive into how humans have understood and tried to manage addiction from ancient times until now. Highly recommended.

Step by step process of recovering from addiction through personal discovery.