296 Pages
    by Routledge

    296 Pages
    by Routledge

    Now in its seventh edition, Living with Drugs continues to be a well-respected and indispensable reference tool. Michael Gossop has updated this new edition to take account of new laws and practices that have come in to place since the previous edition, published in 2007. Written in an accessible style and providing a balanced perspective, the book is ideal for non-specialists in training, such as student nurses and social workers and for anyone with an interest in this complex, ever-present and emotive issue.

    Contents: Introduction; The chemistry of everyday life; The effects of drugs; The social context; Chemical comforts; Alcohol; Tobacco; Cannabis; The hallucinogens; Archetypal drugs of abuse; The control of drugs; Junkie myths; Doors in the wall; References; Index.

    Biography

    Professor Gossop is an international expert on drug and alcohol problems. He is a leading addictions researcher in the National Addiction Centre, King’s College London, and at the Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo. For more than 35 years he worked in the drug and alcohol addiction treatment services at the Maudsley Hospital in London. In 1998 he was presented with the European Addiction Research Award for 'outstanding contributions to the advancement of addiction research'. He has conducted research into most aspects of drug and alcohol use and has published more than 450 articles on the addictions, including 9 books.

    '... it’s a tribute to the quality and comprehensiveness of Michael Gossop’s text that it’s newly available in a seventh edition, ready to inform and inspire those now joining the field... Those established in the drugs field will look to see what’s new in this seventh edition and find the discussion and argument retained. There is careful, thoughtful and comparative exposition of all factors, including historical and geographical drug use and production, with relevant inclusion of recent developments around drug control and new psychoactive substances. Those whose copies have wandered will want to replace them. New readers, as they say, could do a lot worse than start here. Prepare to have your knowledge extended and preconceptions challenged!' Druglink ’While it’s good to see this title once again available, providing a comprehensive and carefully and patiently argued text for lay and professional readers, it’s also a cause for concern that such a book remains necessary and relevant. Its reappearance could be taken as a comment on the state of UK debate on social policy in general, drugs policy in particular. The last word should go to Gossop, who states in his conclusion, as in all editions of this work: Drug taking is here to stay and one way or another we must all learn to live with drugs.’ Drugs and Alcohol Today 'Regularly updated and now in its seventh edition the book is still very relevant. It remains an important and authoritative contribution to the drugs discourse. It offers well argued, thoughtfully reasoned, sensible arguments that are liberally supported with examples. I continue to use this book in teaching because Michael Gossop illustrates well the importance of looking beyond the substance to consider the individual and their environment. ... This book has been a great friend for over 30 years, offering balanced, thoughtful and wise insights into how we see, understand and engage with drugs. Once again updated I highly rec