Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction

“Dr. Dodes’s approach runs directly counter to the paralyzing, but standard, message of ‘powerlessness’—a mes­sage that reinforces the sense of helplessness that is at the root of addicts’ life predicaments! Many psychiatrists recognize that this is where we must head, but Dr. Dodes is one with the guts to shine a beacon in the right direction.”

—Stanton Peele, PhD, author of 7 Tools to Beat Addiction and The Life Process Program of Treatment

The follow-up to his groundbreaking volume The Heart of Addiction, Dr. Lance Dodes’s Breaking Addiction is a step-by-step guide to beating addiction of any kind—from drugs and gambling to alcoholism, overeating, and sex addiction. By recognizing and understanding the emotional forces underlying addictive behaviors, Dr. Dodes says any dangerous, life-destroying obsession can be overcome. Including special bonus sections for both families and health-care professionals, Breaking Addiction is the new handbook for those suffering from addiction—a valuable resource that addresses addiction’s root causes and serves as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous and similar recovery programs.

Finally—a road map to recovery from the nation's most original thinker on addiction

In his revolutionary book The Heart of Addiction, Dr. Lance Dodes examined the underlying emotions that drive addictive behaviors—whether drinking, gambling, sex, or eating. Now, in Breaking Addiction, Dodes presents a comprehensive guide outlining seven critical steps to overcome addiction, based on his findings.

Through his practice and research, Dodes has found that virtually every addictive act is preceded by feelings of helplessness. In his refreshingly clear style, Dodes incorporates case stories to illustrate exactly how these feelings set addiction in motion, how to recognize the path toward addiction—and then how to take back control.

Many people, discouraged by current treatments, have been hungry for an approach that digs addiction up by its roots. Since the publication of The Heart of Addiction, Dodes's ideas have been incorporated by therapists and treatment centers around the country, and are taught by universities and training centers for clinicians.

With special sections for both families and health-care professionals, Breaking Addiction is poised to be the handbook for a new, comprehensive, and in-depth understanding of addiction.

“A new take on a hot topic. . . . Dodes makes a cogent case for a new way of looking at addictions. Rejecting many commonly held and rarely questioned beliefs . . . he clearly and convincingly explains the errors and limitations of these beliefs. In a highly readable style, using many pertinent examples from his practice, he shows that the underlying psychological issue of addiction is always an overwhelming feeling of helplessness or powerlessness. . . . Dodes offers an original voice to the recovery field and a fresh look at a formidable problem for individuals, families and society.” - Publishers Weekly for The Heart of Addiction

“A compelling new approach. . . . Relief comes not from the drink or the bet but from the decision to drink or bet. . . . ‘No addiction is fundamentally motivated by a search for pleasure,’ Dodes says, and furthermore, addiction isn’t a disease. Exploding many other misconceptions about addiction, Dodes stresses that each addict must be treated separately and that the causes of helplessness vary greatly.” - Booklist for The Heart of Addiction

“In a field rife with misinformation, obfuscation, intimidation, and exploitation, this book represents a bright beacon of light that can pierce the fog and help save lives. It is full of good sense, accurate information, and helpful guidance for those who would like to free themselves from addictive behavior involving alcohol, gambling, prescription or nonprescription drugs, food, sex, shopping, and the like. I recommend it wholeheartedly.” - The Psychoanalytic Quarterly for The Heart of Addiction

“One of the five most meaningful and helpful books that I have read in the field of psychotherapy and the most helpful in terms of working with people who have addictions. Dodes . . .writes with an uncommon profundity without using professional jargon and intellectual arrogance. . . . While most of the treatment programs take an anti-symptom approach of using various tactics and techniques to stop the addiction, Dodes . . . seeks to help the addicted person to discover the underlying meaningful order in the clinical disorder of one’s addiction. This is inherently a prophetic book that challenges much of the establishment thinking. For spiritually oriented care givers who deal with persons with addictions in any way, this book is a must read.” - Journal of Pastoral Care for The Heart of Addiction

“Dodes (Harvard Medical Sch.) shares his refreshingly new insights into treating addictive behaviors. Rebuffing shallow explanations of these problems (such as categorizing addictions as diseases), Dodes instead explains the emotional underpinnings of addictive behaviors. . . . Highly recommended for counselors, psychiatrists, and university libraries supporting helping profession curriculums.” - Library Journal for The Heart of Addiction

“In Breaking Addiction, Dr. Dodes looks beneath the surface behaviors of addiction to root them out at their source. Without denying the difficulty of the terrain, Dodes’s program is a call to a clear-eyed, coherent approach. This groundbreaking work should become the ‘go to’ handbook for anyone suffering with addiction. Its easy-to-read style takes sophisticated ideas and turns them into memorable examples. I highly recommend it.” - Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Answers to Distraction and Superparenting for ADD

“Without denying the difficulty of the terrain, Dodes’s program is a call to a clear-eyed, coherent approach. This groundbreaking work should become the ‘go to’ handbook for anyone suffering with addiction. Its easy-to-read style takes sophisticated ideas and turns them into memorable examples. I highly recommend it.” - Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Answers to Distraction and Superparenting for ADD

“The Heart of Addiction is a masterful analysis of addiction that is destined to become a classic guide to understanding repetitive, excessive and self-destructive behavior patterns. The illustrative cases are riveting, entertaining and illuminating. This book marks a revolution in self-help. In fact, this book belongs on the shelf of every treatment professional facing patients with addictive behaviors.” - Howard J. Shaffer, Ph.D., C.A.S., Director, Division on Addictions, Harvard Medical School

“In this courageous and pioneering text, Dr. Dodes has produced a new way of understanding addictions for patients and clinicians alike. He legitimately argues that in the majority of cases of addiction, traditional treatments fail because patients and clinicians fail to understand its causes. Dodes, however, lucidly and empathically conveys this understanding to his readers. The Heart of Addiction will significantly serve readers in what they need to know in understanding and relinquishing their addictions, whatever form they take.” - Edward J. Khantzian, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Past President, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry