Excessive Appetites: A Psychological View of Addictions - Hardcover

Orford, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471103012 ISBN 13: 9780471103011

Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell, 1985

Synopsis

The purpose of this book is to develop a psychological understanding of a range of addictive behaviours or excessive appetites. The lively description of five forms of addiction - alcohol, drugs, food, gambling and sexuality draws upon historical, social and clinical material. The author has emphasized social psychological processes but the role of biological factors in addiction are carefully considered. The book, which will be of particular interest to all concerned with the relationship between behaviour and health, as well as to practitioners and trainees in the mental health disciplines, is important for its presentation of a major alternative to a disease view of addiction.

About this title

Review:

"user friendly, written in an easy, unpretentious style, with illuminating quotations and relevant tables and references. For students or any reader interested in addiction, this book is a reliable crash course. For those who work in the field, it is a substantial contribution to the debate about what addiction is." (Addiction Today, September 2001)

"This classic text .... should be of value to any person who wishes to add to their understanding ofthe area, whether for the purposes of treatment, prevention, harm
reduction or for personal education." (Addiction, Vol.97 2002)

"...wide ranging and well argued..a reliable crash course..." (Addiction Today, September/October 2001) 

" It s a damn good read stuffed with interesting anecdotes, quotations and data " (European Eating Disorders Review, Vol.10, No.1–2, 2002)

" a wonderfully comprehensive reference book." (Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol.31, 2003)

"user friendly, written in an easy, unpretentious style, with illuminating quotations and relevant tables and references. For students or any reader interested in addiction, this book is a reliable crash course. For those who work in the field, it is a substantial contribution to the debate about what addiction is."
(Addiction Today, September 2001)

"This classic text .... should be of value to any person who wishes to add to their understanding ofthe area, whether for the purposes of treatment, prevention, harm reduction or for personal education." (Addiction, Vol.97 2002)

"...wide ranging and well argued..a reliable crash course..." (Addiction Today, September/October 2001)

" It s a damn good read stuffed with interesting anecdotes, quotations and data " (European Eating Disorders Review, Vol.10, No.1–2, 2002)

" a wonderfully comprehensive reference book." (Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol.31, 2003)

 

From the Back Cover:

In the years since its publication in the 1980s, Jim Orford′s book has remained a key text in the field of addictions. This eagerly awaited new edition is a complete and comprehensive revision, which provides an up–to–date and authoritative account of core knowledge in the field, for students, academics, professionals and trainees in psychology, psychiatry, social work and related health disciplines.
All those seeking an understanding of the nature and study of addictions will appreciate this outstanding book for its

• comprehensive coverage, from the origins and processes of addiction right through to the ways in which people overcome addictions, and the implications for interventions
• accounts of the different forms of addiction, including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, gambling, eating and sex, enlightened by a common conceptual framework
• critical, authoritative and comprehensive review of the research literature, with a massive reference base (the large majority new to this edition)
• powerful psychological model of addictions, which challenges former models that are incomplete or inadequate

From Reviews of the first edition:

"Presents a consistent way of looking at excessive appetitive behaviour . . . Orford exhibits a wide range of scholarship and his book is a compendium of important research and ideas in the field of addictions." – Social Science and Medicine
"As one would expect of someone with Orford′s knowledge of the subject, the coverage of the various excessive behaviours is soundly based . . . presents a lucid and highly informative account of the major issues in the addictions. It can be highly recommended" – British Journal of Addictions
"There is no question in my mind that this book deserves to be widely read and taken seriously both by clinicians and by those with a more theoretical interest." – Behaviour Research and Therapy
"I like this book immensely, I would strongly recommend CPN teams to have a copy . . . I would recommend it to all course tutors, and especially field work supervisors. The book clearly has a wide appeal and should be on our bookshelves." – Community Psychiatric Nursing Journal.
Orford′s Excessive Appetites is in a class of its own . . . .
.A direct challenge to both disease models of addiction and to simplistic social reaction models ...bound to become a classic." – New Society
"This really is a splendid book containing challenging and original ideas, argued cogently and authoritatively from data carefully assembled. It will surely be keenly sought by readers from a wide variety of disciplines." – British Book News

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0471103012
• ISBN 13: 9780471103011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 378