Addiction is a complex problem, with social, psychological, and biological underpinnings. The scope of the problem is at epidemic proportions. Thanks to decades of scientific research, we are better equipped than ever to comprehend the causes, complications, and effective social and medical treatments for addiction.
Navigating the physical, medical, emotional, and social aspects of addiction can be overwhelming to patients, families, and even treatment providers. Many publications deal with this topic, however most are thin pamphlets or thick scientific treatises. This short book concisely and clearly answers the questions that students, patients, and their loved ones ask: What is addiction?
Why do we care about it? Why do some people get addicted and others do not? What do we do about addiction? This book, created by Arwen Podesta, MD, is medically minded but accessible to all readers, and will answer these questions and more.
Arwen Podesta, MD, ABAM, ABIHM, is a clinician, speaker, teacher, and writer. She is board certified in psychiatry, addiction medicine, forensic psychiatry, and holistic and integrative medicine. Her background in massage therapy and biochemistry also inform her therapeutic approach, allowing her to help patients on many levels. She uses all her training and knowledge to comprehensively treat individuals and families, looking at micro- and macroscopic imbalances affecting mental wellness.
A specialist in addiction medicine, Dr. Podesta treats addiction and substance use through a neurobiological, genetic, and holistic medicine lens. She holds several positions-clinical faculty at Tulane University, medical director at several addiction treatment facilities, and consultant for the courts. She also has a boutique private practice where she collaborates with a holistic team, including psychotherapists, a nutritionist, massage therapists, and an acupuncturist. She lectures often on addiction medicine and treatment in both academic and public settings.
