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nicolesullivan98's review
Advocating for recreational heroin use without any consideration to the mental health or psychiatric history of the users is incredibly dangerous.
gentlybreakingwalls's review against another edition
4.0
Well-written and important book. I appreciate the overall thesis of destigmatizing drug use and the importance of good science. Still, I am concerned about downplaying overdose risk and other health issues related to substance use. As someone who believes in a harm reduction framework, I would have appreciated if the discussion of harm reduction ware more nuanced and hit on the important work that people who use drugs have done in keeping their communities safe.
washed_guapi_lee's review against another edition
4.5
This book has stayed with me in good ways, even though it wasn't a book one can consider "well-written." It's psuedo memoir concerned with Dr. Hart's research and experiences with drugs: legal, illegal, over the counter, and perscribed. As someone who has used and at times abused drugs for the majority of my adult life, it reinforces a simple truth so few can say aloud: we do drugs because they feel good & help us process and deal with the wretches of a corrupt world. Drugs are a net positive on the world. Hart names and cites the research that shows what drugs do to the body and mind, and what they are comprised of in terms of their base chemical structures. He helps readers understand how to read through scientific literature, media misrepresentations, and explains how 70% of drug users, AREN'T addicts. He also does a marvelous job of connecting how the hysteria of drugs leads to the surveillance, harm, brutality, and jailing of Black people, in particluar men, even as we use drugs at a similar or less rate than other groups of people. To add, Hart does touch on drug addiction throughout the book, and it had made me reevaluate my own sister's addiction and that of some of my high school friends. He even recontextualizes the crack era (the 80s) with obvious analogies to the recent opioid epidemic. If you can stomach his love of the constitution, and some wonky personal digressions, there is such a wide and insightful range of information about the joy drugs bring to people, how to keep people safer when they use, and what other countries have done with drug policy and legislation that leads to less criminalization & harm. I read cause I love to learn, and this book helped me learn and reevaluate my own misconceptions about the body, mind and drugs.
lunarkora's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who has spent time working in the Substance treatment field I had to sit and think about the ideas in the book. The author has plenty of valid takes, mostly about how we treat those who use drugs but I also think he has a bias due to his own drug use. I agree that if there are good treatment solutions for patients using specific illegal drugs then with the oversight of a professional I believe we should look more into that. But I do not think we can trust an individual to safety and responsibly use drugs without oversight by a mental health professional or medical professional because even if a small minority will not be able to not suffer addiction is enough that any drug legalization needs to come with regulations. I’m glad he’s managed to control and still keep up responsibilities but it makes me wonder if that would still be the case after a life changing event like series medical it loss of his job. But that’s what if scenarios. This book will make sure I look at studies a little more closely to compare the results and the conclusion statements. But at the end of the day I have seen what addiction has done to people and the difficulties they face due to this fight and much of my advocacy will be for those clients, fighting to get them seen as a human by our justice systems and law enforcement. I do think this book is an important read for those who work among addiction and drug related fields. But keep an open mind and find the balance between both sides of this argument. I am neither pro or con drugs, but I want people to learn how to be happy and healthy in the best way, using the most up to date knowledge from good studies.
no_fun_jon's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
lizardking_no1's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25