Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction, by Maia Szalavitz, St. Martin’s Press, April 6, 2016.
Unbroken Brain braids together three narratives: Maia Szalavitz’s personal story, what the science reports about addiction, and a call to action to change belief-based addictions treatment to evidence-based treatment.
Questions for discussion:
- What could you relate to in Maia’s personal story?
- What have you believed to be true about addiction? Has Unbroken Brain challenged your beliefs about addiction? If so, in what ways?
- The subtitle of Unbroken Brain is “a revolutionary new way of understanding addiction.” Do you have a new understanding of addiction as a result of reading Unbroken Brain? If so, what are the highlights of what you now understand?
- What do you still not understand about addiction? If you could speak with the author, what three questions would you ask her that seem unanswered to you in Unbroken Brain?
- If your life, or the lives of loved ones or of those you know, has been touched by addiction, does Unbroken Brain help you better understand what happened? If so, how?
- What concepts in Unbroken Brain did you find most challenging? Please select three to discuss.
- What concepts in Unbroken Brain did you find most relieving or satisfying? Please select three to discuss.
- Has your idea of drugs and drug use changed after reading Unbroken Brain? If so, how?
- Did anything in Unbroken Brain shock or surprise you? If so, what?
- After reading Unbroken Brain, how would you describe addiction to someone who doesn’t understand it?
- Do you feel called to take action after reading Unbroken Brain? If so, what would that be?
- What discussion question do you wish had been on this list? Please write it here and consider sharing it with the group: _________________________________________
The Reading Group Discussion Guide for Unbroken Brain was written by Anne Giles and Laurel Sindewald.