2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The book Why Can’t Johnny Just Quit? By Kyle Oh was an interesting book on addiction. This book offered a new perspective on addiction based on the authors first hand encounters with addicts. I think the new perspective Dr. Oh gives about the topic is groundbreaking and will help change the field of addiction prevention. As the author stated there is more focus on treating addictions than on preventing them in the first place. This book goes into great detail about the difference between addiction and abuse. Some people who think they have an addiction might just be abusing the drug, and not actually be addicted.
I would give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I did finish reading the book, and found parts of it interesting, so I didn’t give it a 1. It moved slow in places, and took me longer to read than it should have, so I didn’t give it a 3. I think people who are the target audience for this book will enjoy it more than I did.
I liked the new ideas suggested by Dr. Oh. I also liked how he provided examples of his theories. I liked how there is history of addiction and drugs starting in Chapter Three. He also continues to add a little history throughout each following chapter. I liked that he gives case studies, but they don’t start until page 217. I also like how he added a link to handouts that he gives to his patients, but I visited the website and could not find any handouts. I liked how this book was edited. Even with all the medical terminology I did not find any spelling or grammatical errors.
I disliked how the first example wasn’t introduced until the end of Chapter One. It would be more compelling to read and less stagnant if more examples were put at the beginning of chapters. I think it was slow reading at first. A brief overview of the genetics behind addiction didn’t get started until page 50. Starting on page 72 the book goes into the details about genetics and the biology that I wanted to know. If you are interested in the scientific side of addiction skip to Chapter 5 and continue from there. I feel if you are looking for specific information you can easily skip to the chapter you want, and not have to read the entire book to find what you are looking for.
I think Why Can’t Johnny Just Quit? would be beneficial to any medical doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists who are dealing with people who have addictions. The book may also be beneficial to anyone that thinks they have an addiction, or family members of people with an addiction. A coworker of mine has many family members who have struggled with addiction. I was curious to read this book because I wanted to know more about the subject. The book did a great job of giving me an overview of addiction and expanding my knowledge.
******
Why can't Johnny Just Quit?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Jackdetig's review? Post a comment saying so!