Addiction and the Making of Professional Careers
Description
The misuse of drugs continues to cause suffering and worldwide economic turmoil. In response to these problems, many have devoted their lives to preventing the misuse of mind-altering substances. Addiction and the Making of Professional Careers focuses on the need for enhanced understanding of professional careers in the addiction field. The spectrum of professionals involved is wide and includes treatment personnel of every kind.
Some of the questions examined here include: Why do some people decide to dedicate their lives to responding to drug problems? How do and should we select, train, mentor, support, inspire, and nurture the young career aspirant? What makes for the most effective use of talent? Is every personal case different or can general conclusions be reached?
After a foreword by William Miller and an introduction by Griffith Edwards, the book includes interviews with Joseph Brady, Louis Harris, Conan Kornetsky, and Robert DuPont, all of whom were pioneers in the behavioral pharmacological analysis of addiction. Commentary chapters are written by Kerstin Stenius, Ilana Crome, Peter Anderson, and Jonathan Chick.
Editorial Reviews
“This is a fascinating distillation of a remarkable series of interviews of leaders of the alcohol and drug field that have been published in Addiction over the last three decades. … I’m not sure how Griffith Edwards, Tom Babor, and the other interviewers convinced these exceptional men and women to share their personal and professional experiences over the last three decades, but this made for rewarding and fascinating reading.”
—Marc A Schuckit MD, distinguished professor of psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
“Thirty-six life stories from ten countries and a broad spectrum of sciences from gastroenterology to psychiatry and from sociology to brain science present a lively picture of how addiction research became established as a new interdisciplinary field. This fine collection of oral history describes how research traditions emerge in the interaction of personal inclinations and social orders, apprenticeships, friendships and international networks, coincidences and tenacity, and ideas and institutions. This book has a place in the history of learning, but it is also entertaining reading right now.”
—Klaus Mäkelä, professor, Helsinki, Finland
“This collection of interviews is the best possible advertisement for a career in the addiction field. The interviews exemplify the intellectual fascination and personal rewards of the often accidental choice of a career that should inspire bright young people to freely choose addiction as a field in which to exercise their abilities to the fullest in pursuit of the public good.”
—Wayne Hall, professor and NHMRC Australia Fellow, deputy director (policy), The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research