Title: Outsmart Your Addiction
Author: Jason Giles M.D.
Genre: Nonfiction, Substance Abuse, Medical
Year Published: September 12, 2020
Date Started: July 7, 2022
Date finished: July 9, 2022
This book is about substance abuse and how to get a handle on it. It goes pretty in-depth on the psychology of the human behavior, the medical breakdown of how addiction impacts the brain and body, recovery, how addiction has become a huge medical and money craze in our society today, and so much more. The author shares his story of addiction and how he overcame it and became a substance abuse and addiction advocate to help those struggling through their recovery.
There is a lot of information in this book. At times it can feel like reading a medical journal. However, the author mixes his story—a sort of memoir/autobiography into it, so you’re both learning about him and all the medical jargon (and sometimes just plain medical terms) all at once. It’s extremely fascinating but overwhelming too. Substance abuse is a serious issue in our world today and this book provides very detailed information about how someone can become an addict and how difficult it is to recover. It’s also helpful that the author shares how he recovered and to prove that it can be done.
Overall, this was a good read. I found it very interesting how addiction works. I personally don’t have an addiction to anything, so for someone like me, looking at those who easily get addicted is a little strange. At one point the author mentioned that everyone has an addiction, something they can’t stop doing, or the more they do that thing the more they want more of it, but I can’t find anything I have not been able to stop doing, so a part of me finds it hard to believe that everyone has an addiction to something. However, I can understand that if you come from a place of addiction, you’d think everyone has an addiction to something. This is another side of psychology I’d like to understand more of. I think it’s great the author shared his story. I am drawn to people’s stories, their ups and downs, what they’ve overcome, family dynamics, etc. I would have loved to read more about the author, not so much about the medical stuff on addiction, but his emotional struggles with those he loved, those who knew of his addiction and guided him in the right direction, and those he was able to help or at least did all he could to help. The very minimal included in this book was what touched me the most.
Who should read this book: Anyone who’s interested in learning about how substance abuse can become a danger to oneself.
From My Corner of the Universe 
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