Introduction
In an age where many people have access to limitless information at the touch of a screen, textbooks may seem outdated and superfluous. However, anyone who has discovered a textbook that manages to clarify the subject matter and inspires a deeper interest will know what a difference that can make to the learning process.
‘Determinants of Addiction’ aims to provide students of Addiction Sciences with a comprehensive reference text by approaching each element of the Bio-Psycho-Social model in turn. The author notes that during his work developing a course to teach the neuro-behavioural mechanisms of addiction, he discovered a distinct lack of such a comprehensive textbook, prompting his quest to write the current one.
As the name suggests, the textbook focuses largely on the aetiology and pathogenesis of addiction, although there is some discussion of clinical features and management where relevant.
Content analysis
The book is divided into five sections, of which Section 1 is the Prologue quoting the DSM 5 nomenclature.
Section 2 covers the Neurobiological mechanisms of addiction and is divided into three chapters that cover the pharmacology of common drugs, the neuroanatomical and neurochemical substrates of addiction, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in addiction.
Section 3 covers the behavioural and cognitive mechanisms of addiction, including chapters on operant and classical conditioning, and the roles of attention, memory, and maladaptive decision-making. Section 4 completes the bio-psycho-social framework by covering the individual and socio-cultural factors associated with addiction with chapters on personality, social factors, stress, gender, and sex differences in addiction.
There are over 3000 references to original articles both historical and contemporary.
Organization and structure
The textbook is structured around the bio-psycho-social model of addiction, although never refers to this specifically. This format makes it relatively easy for readers to keep track of where they are in the book, allowing the reader who is more interested in psychological or social aspects of addiction to skip out of the neurobiology or vice versa.
Each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic and a list of learning objectives and is then broken up into sub-headings with a quiz at the end of each to assess your knowledge and understanding.
One potential pitfall of organizing the textbook this way is the need to continually move back and forth between different substances, which can be distracting when trying to focus on a single substance. However, this is counterbalanced by the argument that there are more core processes underlying addiction across substances than there are individual differences between substances of addiction. One of the benefits of the book’s organization is the way that subsequent sections complement previous ones. For example, when operant conditioning is discussed, the author refers to the role of the ventral tegmental area’s role in reinforcement, which had previously been discussed. For those reading this book from start to finish, this provides a useful reference system that helps to tie the broader framework of addiction together.
Since each chapter contains many sub-sections, it might have been beneficial to include a contents section for each chapter.
Readability/accessibility
Determinants of Addiction enjoys a free-flowing, relaxed style with a sprinkling of humour and cultural references, understandably directed more towards a US readership. This style helps to break up the often complex subject matter. Occasionally, the levity can feel out of place, for example, when introducing Opioids, they are referred to as being notorious for causing constipation, followed by an anecdote about the number of constipation adverts on US radio stations.
Naturally, given the author’s background, this textbook’s core strength is in exploring in depth the various research methods involved in the Addiction Sciences. There is an impressive level of detail around the Neuroanatomy and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Addiction. Long sections outlining biological processes are broken up with ‘Experimental Spotlight’ subsections, which explain the research methods underpinning the science. The author conveys his enthusiasm when describing the methods involved, making the concepts more accessible. At times, long sections of descriptive text with little natural break can be a struggle for a reader less familiar with the terminology and concepts.
Usefulness as a learning tool
There are numerous pictures and diagrams throughout the textbook, which are largely relevant and helpful, although they vary in quality. For example, pictures taken by the author himself of an operant conditioning chamber in his lab could perhaps have benefited from a professional photographer. There are some images taken from original papers that could benefit from sub-text explanation rather than requiring the reader to spend time searching to find the relevant text.
Clear objectives at the beginning of each chapter may prove useful as essay titles for tutors or keen students looking to test their learning. The end-of-chapter quiz helps to break up long sections of text and reinforces learning. However, readers looking for a wide variety of different learning exercises and activities may be disappointed.
Conclusion
A welcome comprehensive textbook for a university course on addiction.
