Power, Powerlessness and Addiction
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:11th Jul '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
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- Hardback£64.00(9781107034761)
Argues that power and powerlessness have been neglected in the study of addiction.
Jim Orford argues that power and powerlessness have been neglected in addiction studies. He covers the disempowering nature of addiction, effects on family and others, social resources and vulnerability, studies of the legal and illegal supply, and theories of treatment and change.Addiction exercises enormous power over all those who are touched by it. This book argues that power and powerlessness have been neglected in addiction studies and that they are a unifying theme that brings together different areas of research from the field including the disempowering nature of addiction; effects on family, community and the workplace; epidemiological and ethnographic work; studies of the legal and illegal supply; and theories of treatment and change. Examples of alcohol, drug and gambling addiction are used to discuss the evidence that addiction is most disempowering where social resources to resist it are weakest; the ways in which the dominant discourses about addictive behaviour encourage the attributing of responsibility for addiction to individuals and divert attention from the powerful who benefit from addiction; and the ways in which the voices of those whose interests are least well-served by addiction are silenced.
'This book brings together Jim Orford's vast knowledge of addiction research and theory and, using the unifying concept of power, it examines the multi-layered nature of how we are, at several levels, disempowered by our involvement with addictive consumptions. From the three case studies at the opening to his examples of communities reclaiming power at the end, his chapters move progressively from the individual, to families, to neighbourhoods and communities and onto the broader societal and industrial contexts that shape addictions in our lives. It is the first book on addiction I have read that thoroughly integrates so many important strands of thinking on this complex topic.' Peter J. Adams, Centre for Addiction Research, University of Auckland, and author of Fragmented Intimacy: Addiction in a Social World
'An important book with a powerful central message. Jim Orford masterfully weaves together wide-ranging and diverse fields of knowledge hitherto kept separate. The result is a fascinating exploration of the subtle but strong interconnections between addiction, powerless and power. Once again, Jim Orford breaks new ground.' Judith Harwin, Centre for Child and Youth Research, Brunel University
'This thought-provoking and beautifully written book delivers an important message for change on a broad canvas of integrated ideas: those most affected by addictions have been silenced and their voices need to be heard in the corridors of power.' Tim Stockwell, Director, Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, University of Victoria
'Both scholarly and accessible … a potentially important contribution to our understanding of the social context of addiction.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
'Power, Powerlessness and Addiction is an important and challenging book. It will be especially interesting and useful for those working in substance use disorder prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and public policy. I will be returning to it in my teaching and scholarship.' Catherine Woodstock Striley, PsycCRITIQUES
ISBN: 9781107610095
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 13mm
Weight: 460g
273 pages