The Fix (book): Difference between revisions

The Fix
	First edition
Author	Damian Thompson
Genre	Social sciences
Publisher	Collins
Publication date	24 May 2012 (UK) (hardcover) ; 13 Jan 2013 (UK) (paperback)
Publication place	United Kingdom
Pages	352
ISBN	9780007436088
Preceded by	Counterknowledge

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The Fix: How Addiction Is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World is a non-fiction book by the British writer and journalist Damian Thompson in which Thompson examines addiction and how it is being harboured in society. His fourth book, it was published in May 2012 by Collins. Shortly after release, its core contention that addiction is not a pathological disorder provoked controversy from left-wing journalists.

Overview

In addition to his research, the book is informed by Thompson's experience as a former alcoholic and his participation in the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step sobriety program.^[1]^: 33–37 He rejects the brain disease theory of addiction (an example of which is disease theory of alcoholism), arguing that addiction is instead a voluntary and reversible behavioural disorder based on the brain's reward system, namely the mesolimbic pathway. Thompson argues that addiction is universally being fostered by technology and the social environment for commercial purposes, pointing to sugar addiction from sugar-rich foods such as cupcakes, addictions to pornography, video games, shopping, and drugs such as alcohol, caffeine; illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and controlled medical drugs — such as zopiclone — obtained via prescription or without one from an online pharmacy.

^[2] He believes that the boundaries between everyday addictions and less socially acceptable ones are becoming increasingly blurred, and also perceives an overlap between them, citing evidence that sugar triggers "the brain's natural opioids," and that the brain can become addicted to them in the same way that it does to morphine or heroin.^[3]

Reception

The Economist described the book as an "entertaining and informative account" of addiction, although written in a "waspish" style which it considered to understate the seriousness of the issue.^[4] ConservativeHome viewed it as an "eye-opening, iconoclastic analysis" of contemporary addiction.^[5] In Wired UK, Milo Yiannopoulos felt its perception of a disparity between the evolutionary status quo of human beings and the overwhelming world in which they live was presented with "gentle but terrifyingly persuasive regularity".^[6]

The book provoked a dispute between Thompson and The Guardian's Tanya Gold, a recovering alcoholic.^[7] Gold described it as a "dangerous polemic", accusing Thompson of writing a "poison pen letter" to Alcoholics Anonymous.^[8] The Huffington Post's Rupert Wolfe-Murray also criticised Thompson's rejection of the disease model of addiction, suggesting he was giving alcoholism the banality of everyday obsessions and asking if this was a form of denial.^[9]

Thompson responded to Gold, clarifying his view that addiction is a matter of choice,^[10] and also responded to Wolfe-Murray on his blog, writing that the disease model of addiction should not be an "emotional crutch".^[11]

In The Washington Post, James Norton wrote that Thompson speaks in a deceptively casual voice at first, but ultimately brings the reader through a "whirlwind of anecdotes, interviews and studies", offering an argument with "real force and substance" and engaging reading material.^[12] He felt that Thompson's argument isn't likely to be popular, but is a "far more nuanced look at the mechanics of addiction than we lay readers are usually offered".^[12]

References

^ Thompson, Damian. (2012) The Fix: How Addiction is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World. Collins. ISBN 9780007436088
^ "Solution To Your Medical Problems". Retrieved 12 November 2015.
^ Colantuoni, Carlo; Rada, Pedro et al. 'Evidence that Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence,' Obesity Research 10, 2002. Cited in Thompson (2012), p. 16
^ "Crazy for it". The Economist. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ "From Gin Lane to porn superhighway". ConservativeHome. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (24 May 2012). "The Fix: Damian Thompson explores the murky world of modern addiction". Wired UK. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ "Fleet Street's finest former alcoholics war over words". Evening Standard. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Gold, Tanya (28 May 2012). "Is addiction a moral defect or a mental illness?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Wolfe-Murray, Rupert (31 May 2012). "Are We All Addicts?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Thompson, Damian (30 May 2012). "Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, but not by curing a 'disease'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Thompson, Damian (1 June 2012). "Do you think alcoholism isn't really a disease? Careful – you'll be branded as a heretic". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ ^a ^b Norton, James (21 May 2013). "'The Fix,' by Damian Thompson". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.

[fix-1] Thompson, Damian. (2012) The Fix: How Addiction is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World. Collins. ISBN 9780007436088

[2] "Solution To Your Medical Problems". Retrieved 12 November 2015.

[sugar-3] Colantuoni, Carlo; Rada, Pedro et al. 'Evidence that Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence,' Obesity Research 10, 2002. Cited in Thompson (2012), p. 16

[economist-4] "Crazy for it". The Economist. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[chome-5] "From Gin Lane to porn superhighway". ConservativeHome. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[wireduk-6] Yiannopoulos, Milo (24 May 2012). "The Fix: Damian Thompson explores the murky world of modern addiction". Wired UK. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[standard-7] "Fleet Street's finest former alcoholics war over words". Evening Standard. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[gold-8] Gold, Tanya (28 May 2012). "Is addiction a moral defect or a mental illness?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[huff-9] Wolfe-Murray, Rupert (31 May 2012). "Are We All Addicts?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[g-thompson-10] Thompson, Damian (30 May 2012). "Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, but not by curing a 'disease'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[t-thompson-11] Thompson, Damian (1 June 2012). "Do you think alcoholism isn't really a disease? Careful – you'll be branded as a heretic". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[wpost-12] Norton, James (21 May 2013). "'The Fix,' by Damian Thompson". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.

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+{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
 {{Infobox book
  | name             = The Fix
- | image            = [[File:The Fix (Damian Thompson) - Cover.jpg|200px|center]]
+ | image            = The Fix (Damian Thompson) - Cover.jpg
+ | image_size =
- | caption    = 1st edition (Collins)
+ | caption    = First edition
  | author           = [[Damian Thompson]]
  | cover_artist     =
- | country          = [[United Kingdom]]
+ | country          = United Kingdom
  | genre            = [[Social science]]s
  | publisher        = [[HarperCollins|Collins]]
- | pub_date         = 24 May 2012 (UK) ([[hardcover]]) <br>13 Jan 2013 (UK) ([[paperback]])
+ | pub_date         = 24 May 2012 (UK) (hardcover) <br>13 Jan 2013 (UK) (paperback)
  | pages            = 352
- | isbn             = ISBN 9780007436088
+ | isbn =  9780007436088
  | preceded_by      = [[Counterknowledge]]
 }}
-'''''The Fix: How Addiction Is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World''''' is a [[non-fiction]] book by [[British people|British]] [[writer]] and ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Daily Telegraph]]'' [[journalist]] [[Damian Thompson]] in which Thompson examines [[addiction]] and how it is being harboured in [[society]]. It was published in May 2012 by [[HarperCollins|Collins]] and is his fourth book. Shortly after release, its core contention that addiction is not a [[Pathology|pathological]] disorder provoked controversy.
+'''''The Fix: How Addiction Is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World''''' is a non-fiction book by the British writer and journalist [[Damian Thompson]] in which Thompson examines addiction and how it is being harboured in society. His fourth book, it was published in May 2012 by [[HarperCollins|Collins]]. Shortly after release, its core contention that addiction is not a [[Pathology|pathological]] disorder provoked controversy from left-wing journalists.
 == Overview ==
-In addition to his research, the book is informed by Thompson's experience as a former [[Alcoholism|alcoholic]] and his participation in the [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] [[Twelve-Step Program|Twelve-Step]] [[sobriety]] program.<ref name=fix>Thompson, Damian. (2012) ''The Fix: How Addiction is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World.'' Collins. ISBN 9780007436088</ref>{{rp|33-37}} He rejects the [[Neurological disorder|brain disease]] theory of addiction (an example of which is [[disease theory of alcoholism]]), arguing that addiction is instead a voluntary and reversible behavioural disorder based on the [[Brain stimulation reward|brain's reward system]], namely the [[mesolimbic pathway]].  Thompson argues that addiction is universally being fostered by technology and the [[social environment]] for commercial purposes, pointing to [[sugar addiction]] from sugar-rich foods such as [[cupcake]]s, addictions to [[Pornography addiction|pornography]], [[Video game addiction|video games]], [[Oniomania|shopping]], and drugs such as alcohol, [[Caffeine#Addiction.2C tolerance and withdrawal|caffeine]]; illegal drugs such as [[cocaine]] and [[heroin]], and [[prescription medication|controlled medical drugs]] — such as [[zopiclone]] — obtained via [[Medical prescription|prescription]] or without one from an [[online pharmacy]]. He believes that the boundaries between everyday addictions and less socially acceptable ones are becoming increasingly blurred, and also perceives an overlap between them, citing evidence that sugar triggers "the brain's natural [[opioid]]s," and that the brain can become addicted to them in the same way that it does to [[morphine]] or [[heroin]].<ref name=sugar>Colantuoni, Carlo; Rada, Pedro et al. 'Evidence that Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes [[Endogeny|Endogenous]] Opioid Dependence,' ''Obesity Research'' 10, 2002. Cited in Thompson (2012), p. 16</ref>
+In addition to his research, the book is informed by Thompson's experience as a former alcoholic and his participation in the [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] [[Twelve-Step Program|Twelve-Step]] [[sobriety]] program.<ref name=fix>Thompson, Damian. (2012) ''The Fix: How Addiction is Invading our Lives and Taking Over Your World.'' Collins. {{ISBN|9780007436088}}</ref>{{rp|33–37}} He rejects the [[Neurological disorder|brain disease]] theory of addiction (an example of which is [[disease theory of alcoholism]]), arguing that addiction is instead a voluntary and reversible behavioural disorder based on the [[Brain stimulation reward|brain's reward system]], namely the [[mesolimbic pathway]].  Thompson argues that addiction is universally being fostered by technology and the [[social environment]] for commercial purposes, pointing to [[sugar addiction]] from sugar-rich foods such as [[cupcake]]s, addictions to [[Pornography addiction|pornography]], [[Video game addiction|video games]], [[Oniomania|shopping]], and drugs such as alcohol, [[Caffeine#Addiction.2C tolerance and withdrawal|caffeine]]; illegal drugs such as [[cocaine]] and heroin, and [[prescription medication|controlled medical drugs]] — such as [[zopiclone]] — obtained via [[Medical prescription|prescription]] or without one from an [[online pharmacy]].
+<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ukmeds.clickopener.com/|title=Solution To Your Medical Problems|accessdate= 12 November 2015}}</ref> He believes that the boundaries between everyday addictions and less socially acceptable ones are becoming increasingly blurred, and also perceives an overlap between them, citing evidence that sugar triggers "the brain's natural [[opioid]]s," and that the brain can become addicted to them in the same way that it does to [[morphine]] or heroin.<ref name=sugar>Colantuoni, Carlo; Rada, Pedro et al. 'Evidence that Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes [[Endogeny|Endogenous]] Opioid Dependence,' ''Obesity Research'' 10, 2002. Cited in Thompson (2012), p. 16</ref>
 == Reception ==
-''[[The Economist]]'' described the book as an "entertaining and informative account" of addiction, although written in a "waspish" style which it considered to understate the seriousness of the issue.<ref name=economist>{{cite news|title=Crazy for it|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21556201|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Economist|date=2 June 2012}}</ref> ''[[ConservativeHome]]'' viewed it as an "eye-opening, iconoclastic analysis" of contemporary addiction.<ref name=chome>{{cite news|title=From Gin Lane to porn superhighway|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/the-deep-end/2012/06/from-gin-lane-to-porn-superhighway.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=ConservativeHome|date=1 June 2012}}</ref> In ''[[Wired UK]]'', [[Milo Yiannopoulos]] felt its perception of a disparity between the evolutionary status quo of human beings and the overwhelming world in which they live was presented with "gentle but terrifyingly persuasive regularity".<ref name=wireduk>{{cite news|last=Yiannopoulos|first=Milo|title=The Fix: Damian Thompson explores the murky world of modern addiction|url=http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/24/damian-thompson|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=Wired UK|date=24 May 2012}}</ref>
+''[[The Economist]]'' described the book as an "entertaining and informative account" of addiction, although written in a "waspish" style which it considered to understate the seriousness of the issue.<ref name=economist>{{cite news|title=Crazy for it|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21556201|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Economist|date=2 June 2012}}</ref> ''[[ConservativeHome]]'' viewed it as an "eye-opening, iconoclastic analysis" of contemporary addiction.<ref name=chome>{{cite news|title=From Gin Lane to porn superhighway|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/the-deep-end/2012/06/from-gin-lane-to-porn-superhighway.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=ConservativeHome|date=1 June 2012}}</ref> In ''[[Wired UK]]'', [[Milo Yiannopoulos]] felt its perception of a disparity between the evolutionary status quo of human beings and the overwhelming world in which they live was presented with "gentle but terrifyingly persuasive regularity".<ref name=wireduk>{{cite news|last=Yiannopoulos|first=Milo|title=The Fix: Damian Thompson explores the murky world of modern addiction|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/24/damian-thompson|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=Wired UK|date=24 May 2012}}</ref>
-The book provoked a dispute between Thompson and ''[[The Guardian]]'s'' [[Tanya Gold]], a recovering alcoholic.<ref name=standard>{{cite news|title=Fleet Street’s finest former alcoholics war over words|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/fleet-streets-finest-former-alcoholics-war-over-words-7807785.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=31 May 2012}}</ref> Gold described it as a "dangerous polemic", accusing Thompson of writing a "[[poison pen letter]]" to Alcoholics Anonymous.<ref name=gold>{{cite news|last=Gold|first=Tanya|title=Is addiction a moral defect or a mental illness?|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/28/addiction-policy-iain-duncan-smith|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 May 2012}}</ref> ''[[The Huffington Post|The Huffington Post's]]'' Rupert Wolfe-Murray also criticised Thompson's rejection of the disease model of addiction, suggesting he was giving alcoholism the banality of everyday obsessions and asking if this was a form of denial.<ref name=huff>{{cite news|last=Wolfe-Murray|first=Rupert|title=Are We All Addicts?|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rupert-wolfemurray/are-we-all-addicts_b_1558644.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=31 May 2012}}</ref>
+The book provoked a dispute between Thompson and ''[[The Guardian]]'s'' [[Tanya Gold]], a recovering alcoholic.<ref name=standard>{{cite news|title=Fleet Street's finest former alcoholics war over words|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/fleet-streets-finest-former-alcoholics-war-over-words-7807785.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=31 May 2012}}</ref> Gold described it as a "dangerous polemic", accusing Thompson of writing a "[[poison pen letter]]" to Alcoholics Anonymous.<ref name=gold>{{cite news|last=Gold|first=Tanya|title=Is addiction a moral defect or a mental illness?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/28/addiction-policy-iain-duncan-smith|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 May 2012}}</ref> ''[[The Huffington Post]]'s'' Rupert Wolfe-Murray also criticised Thompson's rejection of the disease model of addiction, suggesting he was giving alcoholism the banality of everyday obsessions and asking if this was a form of denial.<ref name=huff>{{cite news|last=Wolfe-Murray|first=Rupert|title=Are We All Addicts?|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rupert-wolfemurray/are-we-all-addicts_b_1558644.html|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=31 May 2012}}</ref>
-Thompson responded to Gold, clarifying his view that addiction is a matter of choice,<ref name=g-thompson>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Damian|title=Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, but not by curing a 'disease'|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/30/alcoholics-anonymous-saved-my-life|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=30 May 2012}}</ref> and also responded to Wolfe-Murray on his blog, writing that the disease model of addiction should not be an "emotional crutch".<ref name=t-thompson>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Damian|title=Do you think alcoholism isn't really a disease? Careful – you'll be branded as a heretic|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100162313/do-you-think-alcoholism-isnt-really-a-disease-careful-youll-be-branded-as-a-heretic/|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 June 2012}}</ref>
+Thompson responded to Gold, clarifying his view that addiction is a matter of choice,<ref name=g-thompson>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Damian|title=Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, but not by curing a 'disease'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/30/alcoholics-anonymous-saved-my-life|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=30 May 2012}}</ref> and also responded to Wolfe-Murray on his blog, writing that the disease model of addiction should not be an "emotional crutch".<ref name=t-thompson>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Damian|title=Do you think alcoholism isn't really a disease? Careful – you'll be branded as a heretic|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100162313/do-you-think-alcoholism-isnt-really-a-disease-careful-youll-be-branded-as-a-heretic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604000923/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100162313/do-you-think-alcoholism-isnt-really-a-disease-careful-youll-be-branded-as-a-heretic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 June 2012|accessdate=3 June 2012|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 June 2012}}</ref>
-In ''[[The Washington Post]]'', James Norton wrote that Thompson speaks in a deceptively casual voice at first, but ultimately brings the reader through a "whirlwind of anecdotes, interviews and studies", offering an argument with "real force and substance" and engaging reading material.<ref name=wpost>{{cite news|last=Norton|first=James|title=‘The Fix,’ by Damian Thompson|url=http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-21/entertainment/39416927_1_addiction-addictive-substances-force|accessdate=5 June 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=21 May 2013}}</ref> He felt that Thompson's argument isn't likely to be popular, but is a "far more nuanced look at the mechanics of addiction than we lay readers are usually offered".<ref name=wpost/>
+In ''[[The Washington Post]]'', James Norton wrote that Thompson speaks in a deceptively casual voice at first, but ultimately brings the reader through a "whirlwind of anecdotes, interviews and studies", offering an argument with "real force and substance" and engaging reading material.<ref name=wpost>{{cite news|last=Norton|first=James|title='The Fix,' by Damian Thompson|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-review-the-fix-by-damian-thompson/2013/05/21/d9308200-bcdc-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525185552/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-21/entertainment/39416927_1_addiction-addictive-substances-force|url-status=live|archive-date=25 May 2013|access-date=5 June 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=21 May 2013}}</ref> He felt that Thompson's argument isn't likely to be popular, but is a "far more nuanced look at the mechanics of addiction than we lay readers are usually offered".<ref name=wpost/>
-In ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'', British [[Secretary of State for Education]] [[Michael Gove]] described ''The Fix'' as "blackly funny, intellectually serious and compellingly readable".<ref name=gove>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Damian|title=Michael Gove reviews The Fix|url=http://www.thefix-book.com/2012/06/17/michael-gove-reviews-the-fix/|publisher=thefix-book.com|accessdate=6 August 2013}}</ref>  He felt that Thompson's candidness put him in a strong position "to see how addiction is warping society".<ref name=gove/>
 == References ==
 {{reflist}}
-== External links ==
-*[http://www.thefix-book.com ''The Fix'' at the author's website]
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fix}}
-[[Category:2012 books]]
+[[Category:2012 non-fiction books]]
-[[Category:Addiction]]
+[[Category:Works about addiction]]
 [[Category:HarperCollins books]]
+[[Category:Books about drugs]]