Treatable - by Sarah Wakeman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From one of the world's leading experts on addiction, a paradigm shift that shows us why we've gotten addiction wrong--and how to get it right

As a culture, many of us have long regarded addiction as an illness without a cure. Even worse, some have regarded addiction not as a disease at all, but as a moral failing or a lack of willpower. While progress has been made in our understanding of addiction--its genetic inheritance, its neurobiology, its link to trauma--our perspective on interventions, treatment, and outcomes has remained largely the same.

Now, in Treatable, leading addiction expert and Harvard Medical School physician Dr. Sarah Wakeman challenges us to consider: What if we've gotten it all wrong? What if, in fact, people with substance use disorder are not weak or hopeless or doomed? What if notions like allowing them to hit "rock bottom" or issuing hard ultimatums or sending them to "rehab" were, in fact, making them sicker instead of helping them get well? And what if much of the addiction treatment system--the very body empowered to help people with addiction--was frequently so rife with bias, fraud, and non evidence-based models of care that, actually, very few people seeking care receive the help they need?

In Treatable, Dr. Wakeman helps us see that the stigma associated with addiction has kept us from fully adopting the many evidence-based approaches that have been proven to work, and news headlines keep us from seeing the full picture: recovery is not only possible, it is the most likely result. We hear about the overdose deaths, but not about the 22 million Americans who have recovered from an alcohol or drug problem--about one in ten adults.

For the first time, Dr. Sarah Wakeman sets the record straight on a disease that is as prevalent in our society as diabetes, but which receives much less attention, compassion, and care. Through the stories of her own patients, she shows that addiction is not hopeless or untreatable. With medication and supportive, holistic care, it can be managed just as well--or even better--than many other medical conditions.

Treatable is a paradigm shift in the way we conceptualize addiction, poised to revolutionize not only how we approach treatment, but how we understand ourselves, and one another.

Review Quotes

"Treatable looks at addiction in ways masterfully scientific and profoundly humane, not as a choice to be stigmatized but, in the author's felicitous phrase, as a 'good-prognosis disease.' Written by an astute physician with a gift for communication, this book combines instructive anecdotes, fascinating neurobiology, clinical experience, trauma awareness, and social research--all graced with heartfelt insight."--Gabor Maté, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Myth of Normal

"Treatable is the clearest and most accurate book I've read about addiction. To understand and heal the millions that are suffering, we must evolve and update our paradigm with skill, scientific precision, and empathy. This is exactly what Dr. Wakeman accomplishes."--Peter Grinspoon, M.D., addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, instructor at Harvard Medical School, and author of Free Refills

"Combining her deep medical expertise with compelling clinical stories of her patients, Dr. Sarah Wakeman shows readers how human connection and the right treatment can help overcome addiction. Treatable is a hopeful, compassionate book."--Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times

"The greatest obstacle we face in treating addiction is the myth that it is untreatable. In her beautifully written and deeply compassionate book, Dr. Sarah Wakeman dismantles that myth, showing readers that addiction isn't a moral failing deserving of punitive interventions but, rather, a medical condition that can be healed through evidence-based therapies and kindness. Treatable is a gift--and a revelation."--Suzannne Koven, MD, MFA, author of Letter to a Young Female Physician

"A landmark and deeply powerful book, Treatable shows that substance use disorder can be understood, treated, and overcome. Dr. Sarah Wakeman brings clarity, compassion, and scientific rigor to a medical condition too often obscured by shame and bias." --Dr. David A Kessler, NYT bestselling author of Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

"Treatable combines scientific evidence and clinical wisdom to offer a clear and compassionate understanding of addiction and its treatment. Wakeman's informed, humane, and genuinely useful book shows readers how to interpret the evidence, recognize when help is needed, and find effective care."-- Anna Lembke, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation

"Treatable is a compassionate, compelling, must-read for anyone who lives with addiction, cares about someone with addiction, or makes policy decisions related to addiction and its treatment. Dr. Wakeman cuts through the nonsense and misinformation about what helps and what doesn't, providing practical information about what good care looks like and how to get it." --Maia Szalavitz, New York Times bestselling author of Unbroken Brain

"Powerful and radical, Treatable is both a breakthrough and a challenge--you can no longer view addiction as anything but a curable disease."
--Maureen Orth, Vanity Fair Special Correspondent

About the Author

Dr. Sarah Wakeman is the Senior Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her A.B. from Brown University and her M.D. from Brown Medical School. She is board-certified in addiction medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. In partnership with the Matthew Perry Foundation, Dr. Wakeman created the Matthew Perry Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Mass General Hospital.