The Addiction Concept: Working Hypothesis or Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

Admitting to an addiction has long been touted as the first step to recovery. But for those who are actually struggling with compulsive behavior, admitting to an addiction is admitting in part to defeat and failure, and succumbing to a permanent label from which they are never truly freed -- "once an addict, always an addict." This book explores the addiction concept, and how, in some instances, replacing it with alternative avenues of therapy can mean the difference between enervation and empowerment for many individuals. This book explores the logical, empirical, and practical limitations of the addiction concept, its primary elements, and the models to which it has given birth. It provides readers with an objective appraisal of the addiction concept, presents an alternative capable of explaining addictive behavior and offers viable avenues of therapeutic intervention. Psychologists, addiction counselors, substance abuse counselors, and behavioral therapists.