Age of Addiction

<p><b>A mind-blowing tour de force that unwraps the myriad objects of addiction that surround us...Intelligent incisive and sometimes grimly entertaining.<br>--Rod Phillips author of <i>Alcohol: A History</i></b> <p/><b>A fascinating history of corporate America's efforts to shape our habits and desires.<br>--<i>Vox</i></b> <p/>We live in an age of addiction from compulsive gaming and shopping to binge eating and opioid abuse. Sugar can be as habit-forming as cocaine researchers tell us and social media apps are deliberately hooking our kids. But what can we do to resist temptations that insidiously rewire our brains? A renowned expert on addiction David Courtwright reveals how global enterprises have both created and catered to our addictions. <i>The Age of Addiction</i> chronicles the triumph of what he calls limbic capitalism the growing network of competitive businesses targeting the brain pathways responsible for feeling motivation and long-term memory. <p/>Compulsively readable...In crisp and playful prose and with plenty of needed humor Courtwright has written a fascinating history of what we like and why we like it from the first taste of beer in the ancient Middle East to opioids in West Virginia.<br>--<i>American Conservative</i> <p/>A sweeping ambitious account of the evolution of addiction...This bold thought-provoking synthesis will appeal to fans of 'big history' in the tradition of <i>Guns Germs and Steel</i>.<br>--<i>Publishers Weekly</i></p>