...this reads as a wonder tale, a once-upon-a-time narrative, deeply personal, effervescent tale of the adventures of an enthusiast in a psilocybinetic state of mind. The narrative voice avoids the inflation one sometimes hears in ‘the tale that must be told;’ the story is delivered with a pocketful of wry at every turn. [ read more ]
Fadiman’s book tells several stories, all deeply engaging. The first is practical advice about how to set up and run an optimal session. (His own first “trip” was guided by Richard Alpert, who later became Ram Dass; and among the people Fadiman has guided is Stewart Brand, who started the Whole Earth Catalog.) While not advising anyone to take drugs, Fadiman has helped people who have decided to ingest these substances to have the best possible experience. [ read more ]
Introduction to Neuropharmacology begins with several informative introductory chapters that summarize pertinent multidisciplinary information on cytology and bioelectrical properties of neurons, synaptic transduction, behavioral models, and basic pharmacology. [ read more ]
Drawing from behavioural economics, Heyman shows how the failure to sacrifice short-term gains (getting high) for long-term gains (sobriety-aided productivity) is endemic to a consumer culture, and how important a person’s social context is to reining in the penchant for pleasure. This, he argues, explains the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous: it re-socialises addicts, giving them a reason to make the harder choice. Heyman implies that social institutions, particularly those that can guide by example and incentive rather than by precept, are crucial to preventing and “treating” addiction. [ read more ]
The Food and Drug Administration continues to maintain that a patient has a better chance of being struck by lightning than of taking bad medicine. But Eban makes a convincing case that while Bush and Co. keep talking about the hazards of U.S. citizens’ buying prescription drugs at cheaper prices from foreign markets, such as Canada, the FDA can’t credibly guarantee the safety of the U.S. drug supply. [ read more ]
New York Times review
Christian Science Monitor review
Slashdot review
Metro (Silicon Valley weekly) review
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Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood tells the story of Bebergal’s life as a young adult, as he experimented in drugs with the aim of achieving a higher spiritual awareness, a belief he garnered from the popular literature of the 1950s and 1960s. After a series of failures in this direction that become increasingly punctuated by a deterioration of his mental health and a break down in his weltanshauung, the despair is overcome by a new approach in his life. However, having said this, one should not have the impression that this is the typical addiction story. [ read more ]