The third edition of the essential, accessible source for understanding how drugs work and their effects on body and behavior.

Together, the first two editions of Buzzed have sold over 120,000 copies—and now the authors have revised and updated the book to include the most recent discoveries about drugs, including new information on the energy drinks craze, prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Ambien, and the date-rape drug GHB. Scientifically accurate and easy to read, this no-nonsense handbook gives the most balanced, objective information available on the most often used and abused drugs, from alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine to heroin, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine. In both quick-reference summaries and in-depth analysis, it reports on how these drugs enter the body, how they manipulate the brain, their short-term and long-term effects, the kinds of “high” they produce, and the circumstances in which they can be deadly. Neither a “Just Say No” treatise nor a “How to” manual, Buzzed is based on the conviction that people make better decisions with accurate information at hand. 8 pages of color illustrations

Average Customer Review: ( 52 customer reviews )
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I would urge everyone involved in this area from policy makers to other students to buy this book and read it. I finished it in two days, and I'm a better-informed, more careful thinker because of it.

Don't go to a party without it.

31 of 32 found the following review helpful:

Great Primer On Many Aspects Of Addictive SubstancesSep 08, 2001

I am a health care professional who just started working with patients in a hospital detox setting. This book was exactly what I was looking for as a review and primer on the effects different drugs had on the brain and body. The book is in two parts. Part one is basically a quick reference to the different classes of addictive substances, how they affect the brain, how the body disposes of them, the type of withdrawl someone will experience, etc. Part two covers some basics of neuropharmacology which you will need to understand some of the technical info in part one, and also goes into things as varied as the addictive process and social and legal issues involved with drug use. There is a good bibliography and a great index with many of the common street names for a variety of drugs and drug related activities.
I would highly reccommend this to anyone in health care, education, or any type of drug counseling or rehab. Great tool for patient/client/student education about drugs that is factual and easy to understand.

28 of 29 found the following review helpful:

Necessity for Those Entering Substance Abuse ArenaJan 21, 2000
By Warren
As a college professor at Delgado in New Orleans, La., I found the book to be very informative and fact based for anyone interested in substance abuse and/or addictions. I am using this book as a text for a class entitled "Introduction to Substance Abuse". The authors are clear, concise and discuss various drugs (including alcohol) at differing levels of use. This is an excellent text book for those preparing to enter the prevention and treatment fields. If you are expecting to read that "all drugs are bad", and other typical statements, this book will not appease you. It has value for the professional interested in the field as well as the parent who may simply wish to be better informed on the current trends in the world of drugs and alcohol. Warren J. Perret,BSCW/BCSAC

30 of 32 found the following review helpful:

Modern, Factual, Agenda-Free Handbook on Modern Drug AbuseDec 15, 2005
By Mark Lee
Some folks reviewing this book don't seem to understand the purpose for which the book was intended: This is a general consumer book with "straight facts" from Ph.D.s in pharmacology and chemistry on "the most used and abused drugs." This isn't intended to be comprehensive. It it certainly isn't about grandstanding as some tool in the "war on drugs." The motto in this book is "Just say Know."

The authors candidly observe, for example, that it's practically impossible to overdose on marijuana. There's no "Reefer Madness" in this text. And alcohol, caffeine and nicotine certainly qualify as abused drugs in this day and age. The substances that are covered include those above and Ecstasy (MDMA), various hallucinogens (LSD, mushrooms, peyote, etc.), so-called "herbal drugs", various inhalants (nitrous oxide and psychotoxics), marijuana, opiates, sedatives in general and stimulants in general. The chapters on "Drug Basics," "Brain Basics" and "Legal Issues" were straightforward and concise.

I work principally in law enforcement and use this book along with the Drug Identification Bible as resource literature in helping local kids with presentations. One of the authors, Dr. Wilkie Wilson, has been a TV Dateline expert and wonderful spokesperson for being informed about the risks of drug use.

35 of 39 found the following review helpful:

Very good, unbiased information on recreational drugsOct 24, 2000

I read this book as a casual user of marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine. This book has made me come to the realization that I will never use another illegal drug other than marijuana. I never knew the drugs that my classmates were using so carelessly were so destructive. What I like most about the book is the fact that the information is completely unbiased, and is just focused on giving you the straight facts. Information that you get from other, unreliable sources, such as Internet web sites, is so completely biased towards telling you how horrible drugs are, you begin to pick up that you are not being given the whole truth but rather what anti-drug people want you to believe. "Buzzed" gave me more incentive to never do hard drugs than those "unreliable" sources would ever have, even with their terrible drug horror stories. People are smart....just give them the information they need about something, and they will decide their actions from there. I reccomend this book to anyone taking any drugs (including marijuana, alcohol, or nicotine), or anyone considering taking a potentially dangerous recreational drug.

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