“Maia Szalavitz is one of our most incisive thinkers about neuroscience in general and addiction in particular and her writing is astonishingly clear and compelling. In the timely, important, and insightful Unbroken Brain, Szalavitz seamlessly interweaves her moving personal story with her investigation into what addiction is (and isn’t) and how we can most effectively prevent and treat it.”
– David Sheff, New York Times bestselling author of Clean and Beautiful Boy

“Through the lens of her own gripping story of addiction – supported with empirical evidence – Szalavitz persuasively shows that addiction is a disorder of learning, not one characterized by progressive brain dysfunction.”
– Carl Hart, Ph.D., author of the Pen/Faulkner award-winning High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society

“Of the countless writers out there who’s focus is addiction, no one can begin to touch the brilliance of Maia Szalavitz. She is by far my favorite addiction writer, perhaps one of my favorite writers ever. Her passion and exceptional writing talent combined with her exhaustive research, create a book that will inspire, educate, enrage, and entertain. I can only promise one thing: if you read this book, you will never be the same again.”
– Kristen Johnston, actress, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Guts, addiction advocate, founder of SLAM, NYC

“As more professionals realize that addiction isn’t really a disease, our challenge is to determine exactly what it is. Szalavitz catalogs the latest scientific knowledge of the biological, environmental and social causes of addiction and explains precisely how they interact over development. The theory is articulate and tight, yet made accessible and compelling through the author’s harrowing autobiography. Unbroken Brain provides the most comprehensive and readable explanation of addiction I’ve yet to see.”
– Marc Lewis, author of The Biology of Desire

“… a new way of looking at drug addiction that offers a fresh approach to managing it. [Szalavitz] writes frankly about her background …. In a heartfelt manner, she exposes her own fears and pain … A dense blending of self-exposure, surprising statistics, and solid science reporting that presents addiction as a misunderstood coping mechanism, a problem whose true nature is not yet recognized by policymakers or the public.”
– Kirkus

“Anyone who has battled addiction or seen it harm a loved one will gain insights from “Unbroken Brain,” and if it influences policymakers, too, everyone will benefit…”
– Carla Johnson, Associated Press, Big Story

“Journalist Szalavitz offers a multifaceted, ground-up renovation of the concept of addiction–both its causes and its cures.”
– PW

Reviews

Undoing Drugs: How Harm Reduction Is Changing the Future of Drugs and Addiction, by Maia Szalavitz, Joanna Theiss, 10/31/2022

Curbing the Overdose Epidemic: An Author’s Call to Drop Our Moralistic Blinders and Save Lives, MindSite News, Julia Landau, 10/16/2022

Undoing Drugs – a Review by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., Practical Recovery, Tom Horvath, 12/2/2021

How My Unbroken Brain Began to Understand Addiction, The Fix, Anne Giles, 6/16/16

‘Unbroken Brain’ Offers New Insights on Addiction, NPR, Alva Noë, 4/29/16

The answer to treating drug and alcohol ddiction may be far simpler than you think, Erin Brodwin, Business Insider, 4/25/16

What Smart Folk Snort Coke, Sally Satel, Wall Street Journal, 4/11/16 (Full text here.)

‘Unbroken Brain’ Takes a Look at Addiction, Carla K. Johnson, Salon, 4/5/16

Is Addiction a Learning Disorder? A Powerful New Book Argues for a New Understanding, Dana Goldstein, Slate, 4/5/16

Maia Szalavitz on a New Way of Understanding Addiction, Seth Ferranti, The Fix, 4/4/16