Product Description

The third edition of the essential, accessible source for understanding how drugs work and their effects on body and behavior.

Together, the first two editions of Buzzed have sold over 120,000 copies--and now the authors have revised and updated the book to include the most recent discoveries about drugs, including new information on the energy drinks craze, prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Ambien, and the date-rape drug GHB. Scientifically accurate and easy to read, this no-nonsense handbook gives the most balanced, objective information available on the most often used and abused drugs, from alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine to heroin, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine. In both quick-reference summaries and in-depth analysis, it reports on how these drugs enter the body, how they manipulate the brain, their short-term and long-term effects, the kinds of "high" they produce, and the circumstances in which they can be deadly.

Neither a "Just Say No" treatise nor a "How to" manual, Buzzed is based on the conviction that people make better decisions with accurate information at hand.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157964 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-29
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.02" h x 6.34" w x 9.18" l, .96 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"The gap between scientific information and public information about drugs is growing hour by hour," declare the authors of this thorough, popular guide to pharmaceutical and recreational chemicals. The public's misinformation, they say, is only compounded by the fact that most descriptions of drugs' benefits and risks are oversimplified, inaccurate and politicized. Marijuana, for example, is portrayed by some organizations as a wonder drug, and by others as a dangerous contagion. The authors' guide aims to avoid such pitfalls. Divided into a dozen sections-Alcohol, Caffeine, Ecstasy, Hallucinogens, Herbal Drugs, Inhalants, Marijuana, Nicotine, Opiates, Sedatives, Steroids, and Stimulants-the book adopts a straight, neutral tone that reflects its commitment to providing unbiased, scientific fact. As professors at the Duke University Medical Center, Khun, Swartzwelder and Wilson are well-qualified to analyze and synthesize lots of complicated information, and this second edition of the guide has been fully revised to reflect scientists' growing knowledge of how chemicals of all kinds affect our health and development. Best of all, the descriptions are jargon-free, making this book a great choice for anyone looking for clear, reliable information about any kind of drug. 8 pages color illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
There is no talking down or trying to be hip in this guide to recreational drugs. The title is the slangiest thing about it, until the glossary of street language at its end, and a reader needs to feel comfortable with the polysyllabics of pharmacology, though the diction is otherwise common, not technical. The long first part consists of chapters on each of 12 kinds of drug: alcohol, caffeine, enactogens, hallucinogens, herbal drugs, inhalants, marijuana, nicotine, opiates, sedatives, steroids, and stimulants. Each chapter initially lists individual drugs of the kind and their common names and briefly describes the drug's "buzz," immediate hazards (overdose, etc.), and dangerous interactions with other substances; discursive text on the drug's history, effects, and other topics, such as, when pertinent, addiction, fill out the chapter. The book's second part contains chapters on the working of the brain, drugs in general, addiction in general, and legal issues. A sound, thorough, authoritative resource that, though aimed primarily at college students, will be a solid asset in every public library. Ray Olson

Review
"Sane, sharp and up to speed on all the latest research" (The Independent), this is a new, paperback original edition of the "guide to the effects of legal and illicit drugs from coffee to cocaine" (The Economist)."