Diseasing of America: How We Allowed Recovery Zealots and the Treatment Industry to Convince Us We Are Out of Control
"A courageous indictment of the destructive mindset that all deviant behavior is a disease. Peele offers mindful alternatives to those suffering from addictions and to professionals seeking to help them." (Ellen Langer, professor of psychology, Harvard University)"I found the arguments in Diseasing of America persuasive and carefully documented. While I find current addiction-treatment models helpful, I think it is critical to look at Stanton Peele's work to question our fundamental assumptions and adjust them on the basis of data." (Jennifer P. Schneider, author of Back From Betrayal and Sex, Lies, and Forgiveness, and member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine)"A provocative review of the uses and abuses of the disease model in the past three decades. This important book has significantly added to my education and clinical understanding of addiction in my professional practice." (Richard R. Irons, The Menninger Clinic)"Peele makes it clear that the disease model of addiction is an emperor without clothes. By placing addictive behaviors in the context of other problems of living, he emphasizes personal responsibility for one's habits. The book empowers the reader to view addiction in a new optimistic light." (G. Alan Marlatt, director, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, University of Washington, and coauthor of Relapse Prevention)