Title: Freedom From Addictions: A Psychological Detective Story
Authors: Douglas A. Quirk, Reg M Reynolds
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1984571151
Pages: 558
Genre: Health, Fitness, & Dieting
Reviewed by: Aly Avina

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People from all walks of life have been directly affected by the horrors of addiction since the beginning of time. Within addiction, there are many different types. Some are drug and alcohol-related, others are in relation to food or gambling, but the truth of the matter is any addiction will be harmful not only to the addicted person but everyone around them. Thus, this is a serious issue which needs to be stopped but has yet to be figured out as to how we do that.

In Freedom From Addictions: A Psychological Detective Story authors Douglas A. Quirk and Reg M. Reynolds conduct their own experiments to see if they can achieve just that. They are the first to admit they are “clinicians rather than academics” and therefore came to these conclusions with a focus on relative theory only.

This idea was birthed while the two worked at Ontario Correctional Institute for many years together as Senior and Chief psychologists at the facility. This is also where they conducted their study with the subjects being the adult male offenders at their facility. The goal was to identify the causes of addictions, sure, but to also identify the proper treatment plan to help those with addiction and even possibly find preventative measures as well. The findings in their study were quite intriguing and laid out with precision and were overall incredibly detailed. It quickly made us imagine a world where addiction was eventually eradicated, even if it would take some time to get there.

The authors took the approach of this book as if it were a mystery to be solved because they feel that is exactly what any scientific research is, hence it being a “detective story.” I couldn’t agree more when looking at it from their perspective. And through their ADDICAUSE project, they focus primarily on alcohol and drug-related addictions which is likely the most dangerous type of them all. They tackle everything from socioeconomic causes to trauma-related causes to mental health issues, and everything in between to determine what it is they can do to treat and counteract the issue at hand. The process itself was not an easy one, but the work was worth it to potentially help many people around the world.

While addiction is far from easy to treat, Douglas A. Quirk and Reg M. Reynolds have given us a bit of hope after pouring over their research in their book Freedom From Addictions: A Psychological Detective Story. The information presented to us is impeccably detailed while still remaining understandable for the average person which, by the way, is no easy feat. For anyone who has personally known someone who has suffered from addiction or they themselves have, this is a book you won’t want to miss out on.