I'm an interning psychotherapist at an addiction recovery facility. I approach addiction and recovery from a "whole person", neurobiological perspective i.e. I consider addiction to be a disease, with biological (particularly neurobiological), psychological and social factors all playing important roles in etiology and intervention. This book is a terrific primer on all of the above. I will absolutely recommend this book to my clients. It is very well written and researched. It's as informative as it is entertaining. I am personally agnostic regarding 12 step - AA and its variants. I do not coerce my clients into attending meetings or getting a sponsor. 12 step works for some and fails for others. This book covers 12 step programs in a generous light without the usual "it's the only way" dogma. Even more encouraging is the books rendering of the harm reduction philosophy/model which approaches addiction as a public health issue and focuses on reducing harmful behaviors rather than demanding abstinence or refusal of services. This is an excellent book. I highly recommend it.