Review of Why Can't Johnny Just Quit?

[Chibuike Hillary]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Why Can't Johnny Just Quit?" by Kyle Oh.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Why Can't Johnny Just Quit? talks about addiction and its dangerous impact on an individual. The book, written by Kyle Oh, reveals the meaning, causes, symptoms, prevention, and ways to treat addiction. The writer began by expressing several misconceptions attributed to addiction. He explained the differences between substance use and substance addiction. While abuse is backed up by one's behaviour, addiction is majorly based on intent. This signifies that the reason for taking a particular drug is a justifiable factor to show how susceptible one is to the drug. The writer, being a physician, also gave insights on how he managed his patients who became addicted to drugs. The majority of them were subtly enslaved into the act as a result of the substance's initial feeling of happiness and excitement. But unknowingly to them, the drug that once made them happy eventually became the cause of their misery, desolation, despondency, and low spirits. This, as explained by Kyle, is the downfall of addiction.

One thing I liked about this book was how the writer explained the meaning of the term "high." Oftentimes, people use this word for those that are intoxicated or inebriated. But true highness has nothing to do with this state. Kyle explained that a truly high individual has gained the utmost level of excitement from a substance. This individual, who is excited, is at an even greater risk of becoming addicted to the drug or substance than the intoxicated individual. The latter may easily come out of his state of intoxication, but the former will likely go back to the substance as a result of the feelings of excitement derived from the drug or alcohol consumption. So, in essence, one can easily use this as a foundational theory to assess one's susceptibility to a substance. This means that if the substance makes you super excited after its usage, enough caution must be taken thereafter because addiction is knocking at the door already.

Why Can't Johnny Just Quit? is a book filled with enriching information. There was nothing I disliked about the book while reading. Rather, I was fascinated by the author's use of scientific methods to explain the concept. One key aspect was how he linked genetics to addiction. He stated that an individual may consume a substance or a drug and become addicted to it, while another individual may consume a similar substance and walk away freely without becoming addicted. This is a result of the disparities that exist in the genetic makeup of individuals. Needless to say, one should not consider how someone else feels while consuming a substance because a different feeling can emanate due to different genetic compositions. 

The contents of this book were carefully outlined, which made it easy to read. Furthermore, it was professionally edited as I noticed just a few errors in it. Due to these factors and the fact that it contains highly informative facts, I give this book a rating of four out of four stars.

I recommend this book mainly to physicians all over the world and people who live with addicts of any kind. This book will teach them how to deal with addiction problems in a practical way. However, individuals who may want to know more about the causes and prevention of addiction will also find this book enthralling.
 

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Why Can't Johnny Just Quit?
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[Faith - Benny Any]

This review made me realize that genetics can be linked to be a cause of addiction; didn't know that before. Conclusively, the whole write-up was really educative.