The Addictive Brain

By: Thad A. Polk, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Thad A. Polk

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Addiction is a problem that affects everyone - even if we haven't experienced addiction ourselves, we all know someone who has. Unfortunately many sources of information about addiction seem inaccessible or irrelevant because they present vague or false science, they present accurate science in an excessively complicated way, or they are more moralistic than informative.

Addiction is sometimes viewed as a failure of character or will or morality. But neuroscience offers a very different picture - one that can inform how we, as individuals and as a society, treat addicts and the problems caused by addiction. These 12 eye-opening lectures will show you that addiction is a scientifically understandable problem that has its origins in neurobiology and genetics.

The Addictive Brain is a fair and balanced investigation of addiction, backed by hard science and behavioral science. Most of us have probably seen the old antidrug commercial in which an actor compares your brain on drugs to an egg sizzling in a hot frying pan. That's a powerful image, but it doesn't tell us what actually happens when drugs enter your body and interact with neurochemical processes.

Professor Polk gives you a comprehensive but concise survey of addiction and the major drugs of abuse, highlighting the differing neurological effects of stimulants, opioids, and more. He also delves into the world of behavioral addictions, such as gambling and compulsive video gaming, which, neurologically, operate very similarly to drug addiction. This course will clearly and compassionately inform you on what addiction means scientifically, socially, and behaviorally.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

wish there was more on video games

This was incredibly informative and useful in real life. I now have a much better understanding of addiction, and how it can apply to behaviors as well as drugs. I was mostly interested in video game addiction when I purchased this, and I wish the professor had spent more time on it and it's treatment, but the information presented was very good.

Excellent

Boy did I enjoy this! Really diverse set of topics all concerning addiction, it's biological and neurological effects. Great speaker as well. his presentation keeps you alert and engaged.

very good overview

Does a great job of defining addiction. Describes how the brain behaves and how in turn it impacts behavior. Discussion on treatments. Discusses behavior abuses (e.g. gambling, etc.) and the similarity to chemical abuses.

Comprehensive, entertaining, well explained

Even I know much about addiction, there was some new stuff. A bit short comparing to other courses, there could be some more topics, but maybe in some bigger course about addiction overall. Topic of addiction is very actual these days since we (especially big internet companies) are hacking our reward circuits with super-natural triggers build into applications and websites causing addiction like malformation in our behaviour and mind. It probably actually lead to "classic drugs" in many cases - compensating to that huge amount of information by stimulants or the void created with this mostly meaningles content by opiates etc. (and there is unprecedented rise/crisis with those drugs these days. We can either revert po back to old ways of living, destroy ourselves (harm is inevitable), augment ourselves (by genetic manipulation or cybernetics, maybe by some mindfullness like training or all combined) or evolve naturally, which will take thousands of years..

great insights of how the mind works

this book can be finished pretty fast and at a higher speed while still being able to process the information which I liked and they had a lot of insightful information about how your brains and genes work when dealing addiction.

Covers a wide range of addictions and behaviors.

Fascinating. Worthy of the time it takes to listen. Gets one thinking. A little complicated with a new vocabulary and understanding. Worth listening to twice.

Biopsychosocial Aspects of Addiction

As a clinical psychologist and director of an eating disorder and chemical dependency program I found this course excellent. It presents a balanced perspective on the nature of both substance and process addictions. It validates my own research and experience, namely one must consider the nature of the substance or behavior, the nature of the person, and the environment where both meet - availability

Marty LERNER,PhD.
CEO Milestones in Recovery

Good Primer on addiction

Methodical but interesting and always presented very relevant situations. Would definitely reccomend this Great Courses lecture.

Informative

I really enjoyed this course about addiction. It was heavy into the science, which was fascinating, but a bit complicated. I would have liked it to be heavier into the consequences of addiction and with more focus on behavioral addictions, but overall it was great.

Excellent

There is a whole lot to this book. Amazing read for sure. it will not disappoint