Addiction and Overdose: Confronting an American Crisis

by Connie Goldsmith

Overview

Drug overdosing and death from prescription painkillers and heroin are at epidemic levels in the United States. How do people become addicted to opioids and other dangerous drugs, and why? Meet the experts who study the neurology of addiction. Hear stories of addicts in recovery, and of loved ones left behind by those who died from overdosing. Discover more about the social and economic costs of overdosing and learn about scientific research to decrease it. Learn about the connection between addiction and mental health disorders. Find out how to identify signs of addiction and overdose and what you can do to help someone get assistance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512467789
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Connie Goldsmith is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree in nursing and a master of public administration degree in health care. She has written numerous books for YA readers and nearly two hundred magazine articles. Her recent books include Kiyo Sato: From a WWII Japanese Internment Camp to a Life of Service (2020), a Junior Library Guild selection; Running on Empty: Sleeplessness in American Teens (2021); Understanding Coronaviruses: SARS, MERS, and the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021); and Bombs Over Bikini: The World's First Nuclear Disaster (2014), a Junior Library Guild selection, a Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, an Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California Distinguished Book, and an SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner. She lives in Sacramento, California. Visit her website at http://www.conniegoldsmith.com/.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Addiction and Overdose in America 4

Chapter 2 The Power of Addiction 14

Chapter 3 Faces of Addiction 31

Chapter 4 From Prescription Drugs to Heron 51

Chapter 5 Patients and Doctors in the Middle 66

Chapter 6 Prescription for a Better Future 80

Chapter 7 Relapse and Recovery 100

Source Notes 106

Glossary 114

Selected Bibliography 117

Further Information 120

Index 124

Editorial Reviews

"[A] well-constructed, comprehensive text. . . . [A] much-needed book for public and school libraries . . ."—VOYA

From the Publisher

07/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—This title not only concisely details addiction and overdose from a scientific perspective but also incorporates the personal stories of famous and average U.S. families who have dealt with the experience firsthand. (The author dedicates the book to her sister Kerri, "who battled the twin demons of depression and opioid use for many years.") Goldsmith offers relevant data on drugs and addiction and continually circles back to the long process of recovery. The role of pharmaceutical companies in contributing to the crisis is also discussed. Stories such as Prince's or best-selling author Ellen Hopkins's daughter's emphasize the dangers of prescription and illegal substances and provide commentary on how to confront this issue. Back matter is extensive. Though the scientific explanations of how addiction takes hold are complex, this is important information. With an abundance of photographs, graphs, text boxes, neatly labeled subheadings, definitions, and quotations, this well-structured text reads like narrative nonfiction. VERDICT Purchase this selection to update collections on social issues related to drugs and addiction.—Alicia Abdul, Albany High School, NY

School Library Journal

2017-06-14
A chronicle exposing facts and challenges confronting drug addiction and overdose in America. Health and science writer Goldsmith returns with another formidable topic for young readers. Covering everything from the stigma of addiction to its effects on the brain and body, the book also divulges lesser-known information, such as the racial stereotyping that affects physicians' behavior: "Doctors prescribe narcotics more cautiously to black patients." Quoting a New York Times editorial, the text delves into how Congress has historically treated drug abuse as a disease afflicting mostly poor, minority communities by locking people up and observes how the epidemic of drug-overdose deaths is now ravaging white populations. In light of this, the book could have spent more time talking about the relationships between pharmaceutical companies and physicians. Goldsmith tailors some information to her audience: "More people start using illegal drugs between the ages of sixteen and seventeen than at any other age." The design includes tips for teens, chapter summaries of statistics, charts, graphics, and photos, as well as relevant boxed-out information. While the information presented is thorough and the facts imperative, the dire subject matter does not make for a page-turner; important details, facts, and figures risk dilution by the dozens of accounts and examples reported. Reading at times rather like a commercial for recovery programs, this text may be best suited to a health class covering the subject matter; nevertheless, a crucial topic. (index, further information, glossary, selected bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews