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The Freedom Model for Addictions: Escape the Treatment and Recovery Trap
Do you want an addiction � a lifelong diagnosis � or do you want to see yourself as having a habit that you can solve completely? Your answer tells you ifThe Freedom Model for Addictionsis the answer you have been looking for.
The Freedom Modeldebunks the addiction disease concept as well as the idea that “recovery� is needed after you’ve decided to abstain or moderate your use. Much of the content within the book may surprise you, maybe even shock you. For
Did you know addiction IS NOT a disease?Did you know the brain disease theory is not based on sound science and is actually a myth?Did you know that addictions are habits, just like many other habits, and that as such are quite easy to break once you know the facts?Does your gut tell you that treatment is just another money grab from those who are vulnerable, and that something is drastically wrong with the rehab industry as a whole?If so, you’d be right � rehabs don’t work, andThe Freedom Modeltells you exactly why and how this Western cultural institution came to gain such power over people’s lives. For those immersed in the 12 step culture or in the rehab culture, this book provides a path out of those institutions, and into a much more empowered state of mind.
Our experience of researching drug and alcohol use and helping thousands with these issues for more than 30 years tells us people desire to be completely free from addiction. They also want to be free from the idea of being “in recovery� just as much. Neither of these addiction or recovery � have held great favor with the masses. In fact, the vast majority of people with drug and alcohol problems (more than 90%) don’t go to treatment nor do they enter the subculture of “recovery.� They simply move past their addictions, and they do so without any treatment whatsoever. Did you know that? This is the great untold story in treatment circles, but one we unearth for your benefit. This fact alone demonstrates just how normal it is to break habits that we no longer want in our lives. Let’s face it, people desire freedom; freedom to choose their own direction; freedom to move past habits that have them feeling trapped and in pain; freedom from the addict and alcoholic identity; freedom from the limits of 12 step culture and the drug and alcohol rehabilitation industry; freedom to be happier; freedom to move on past the struggles and challenges of life. The Freedom Modelguides the reader on this path by offering the opposite of the treatment industry’s empty promises � it offersreal freedom!
The Freedom Modelis an approach thatdeconstructs the construct of addiction and recovery and all that surrounds these beliefs. By doing so, you can be completely free to move on in your life without those constructs holding you back and keeping you needlessly trapped in an endless addiction/recovery/addiction cycle.The Freedom Modelrenders addiction and recovery as completely obsolete and unnecessary in both your personal life and as cultural constructs that keep the masses blind to the solutions that exist within the individual. While The Freedom Model is a book, it is the research and the message contained on those pages that are the real solution to an individual’s struggles with drugs and alcohol.
The Freedom Modeldebunks the addiction disease concept as well as the idea that “recovery� is needed after you’ve decided to abstain or moderate your use. Much of the content within the book may surprise you, maybe even shock you. For
Did you know addiction IS NOT a disease?Did you know the brain disease theory is not based on sound science and is actually a myth?Did you know that addictions are habits, just like many other habits, and that as such are quite easy to break once you know the facts?Does your gut tell you that treatment is just another money grab from those who are vulnerable, and that something is drastically wrong with the rehab industry as a whole?If so, you’d be right � rehabs don’t work, andThe Freedom Modeltells you exactly why and how this Western cultural institution came to gain such power over people’s lives. For those immersed in the 12 step culture or in the rehab culture, this book provides a path out of those institutions, and into a much more empowered state of mind.
Our experience of researching drug and alcohol use and helping thousands with these issues for more than 30 years tells us people desire to be completely free from addiction. They also want to be free from the idea of being “in recovery� just as much. Neither of these addiction or recovery � have held great favor with the masses. In fact, the vast majority of people with drug and alcohol problems (more than 90%) don’t go to treatment nor do they enter the subculture of “recovery.� They simply move past their addictions, and they do so without any treatment whatsoever. Did you know that? This is the great untold story in treatment circles, but one we unearth for your benefit. This fact alone demonstrates just how normal it is to break habits that we no longer want in our lives. Let’s face it, people desire freedom; freedom to choose their own direction; freedom to move past habits that have them feeling trapped and in pain; freedom from the addict and alcoholic identity; freedom from the limits of 12 step culture and the drug and alcohol rehabilitation industry; freedom to be happier; freedom to move on past the struggles and challenges of life. The Freedom Modelguides the reader on this path by offering the opposite of the treatment industry’s empty promises � it offersreal freedom!
The Freedom Modelis an approach thatdeconstructs the construct of addiction and recovery and all that surrounds these beliefs. By doing so, you can be completely free to move on in your life without those constructs holding you back and keeping you needlessly trapped in an endless addiction/recovery/addiction cycle.The Freedom Modelrenders addiction and recovery as completely obsolete and unnecessary in both your personal life and as cultural constructs that keep the masses blind to the solutions that exist within the individual. While The Freedom Model is a book, it is the research and the message contained on those pages that are the real solution to an individual’s struggles with drugs and alcohol.
481 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2017
83 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 18, 2018
This is a book that has a unique, intriguing, and ultimately empowering perspective. The work is very much worth reading especially for those with an interest in the recreational use of alcohol and drugs, and the treatment and recovery processes prevalent in our society.
I found the statistics on how many so-called addicts resolve their problems on their own, e.g., upward of 90% for alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, quite surprising. (page 22)
Of course, you have to want to moderate or quit. (page 31 et seq.) That is the basic message throughout this book.
Some other key concepts contained in the book follow:
· "Moderate use [of alcohol and drugs] is possible for anyone, because loss of control is a myth." (page 11)
· "The Freedom Model says...that people are actively and freely choosing each time they take a dose of drugs or alcohol, and that one simple thing motivates them to do so: the pursuit of happiness." (page 18) Also referred to as the Positive Drive Principle (PDP). (page 121)
· Pleasure "is the primary reason people prefer to be intoxicated." (page 67)
· Determining whether your current substance use makes you happy enough or you'd be happier with some level of change is everything." (page 140)
� With regard to the terms “problematic,� heavy,� and “moderate/adjusted� substance use, the authors note that “we haven’t defined what levels or frequencies . . . fit those descriptions. . . These are all subjective terms, the definitions of which will vary according to everyone’s personal judgment.� (page 207)
I didn't agree with all that the authors said. This statement, for example: "[C]hoices are made in the pursuit of happiness and that there are no exceptions." (page 125) This statement ignores the fact that sometimes we are forced to choose between the lesser of two evils—not to be happy but to be less unhappy. To cite a drastic example, consider a man on death row choosing between hanging or firing squad. Or as happened to many during the Viet Nam War, go to jail or join the Army. Is either seeking happiness? Obviously not. The are deciding on the less painful choice.
I also found the chapters (17 and 18) on Questioning Drug Effects, and The Illusion of Emotional Relief (respectively), often unpersuasive, especially regarding the authors' reliance on a pharmacological analyses. The authors� seeming indifference to catalytic impact also bothered me. However they did allude to catalytic impact on page 293 where they noted, "The emotional stress relief some people feel at some times while using substances is coming from their own minds."
Another problem I found was that there was much repetition in the book which tended to detract. Perhaps the authors were just trying to hammer things home.
However, I especially liked that the authors suggest at the end of Chapter 9 that some people will by the time they read through the first nine chapters (the first 172 pages of 469 pages total, including 90 pages of Appendices), they will be able to see through the treatment and recovery ruse, and feel free to change. In other words, for some, the book ended there. Those "caught deeper in the trap of recovery mythology" were encouraged to read on. I would describe myself as NOT being in the latter group but kept reading anyway and was not disappointed for having done so. There was much more worthwhile reading that followed.
Chapter 21, on The Benefits of Adjusted Substance Use, I found somewhat perplexing. After referring to “moderation� numerous times previously throughout the book, in Chapter 21 the authors used a different term in its place, i.e., “adjusted substance abuse.� This seemed like a matter of semantics, but the authors disputed that notion saying, “This term, adjusted substance abuse, is not about just a matter of semantics [sic]. The point of it is to get you to think of what you would have to adjust to get better, happier, more satisfying life results for yourself.� (page 343)
Fair enough. And I did appreciate the list that immediately followed regarding the “potential adjustments� that can be made to change substance use habits, e.g., using less per occasion, using safer substances, etc.
In a segment discussing the pitfalls of goal setting toward the end of the text (page 370), the authors express their message very effectively, essentially advising readers to ask themselves “one simple question. Do you believe that you can be happier reducing/quitting your substance use than you can by continuing as it is? That’s it. That’s all you need to know. If you don’t believe you will be happier [or less unhappy, in my view], then you will not be motivated to change.�
Agreed. It’s a question that those folks wondering whether they should quit, moderate, or adjust their substance intake, need to ask themselves. No doubt about it, you’ve got to WANT to change.
I found the statistics on how many so-called addicts resolve their problems on their own, e.g., upward of 90% for alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, quite surprising. (page 22)
Of course, you have to want to moderate or quit. (page 31 et seq.) That is the basic message throughout this book.
Some other key concepts contained in the book follow:
· "Moderate use [of alcohol and drugs] is possible for anyone, because loss of control is a myth." (page 11)
· "The Freedom Model says...that people are actively and freely choosing each time they take a dose of drugs or alcohol, and that one simple thing motivates them to do so: the pursuit of happiness." (page 18) Also referred to as the Positive Drive Principle (PDP). (page 121)
· Pleasure "is the primary reason people prefer to be intoxicated." (page 67)
· Determining whether your current substance use makes you happy enough or you'd be happier with some level of change is everything." (page 140)
� With regard to the terms “problematic,� heavy,� and “moderate/adjusted� substance use, the authors note that “we haven’t defined what levels or frequencies . . . fit those descriptions. . . These are all subjective terms, the definitions of which will vary according to everyone’s personal judgment.� (page 207)
I didn't agree with all that the authors said. This statement, for example: "[C]hoices are made in the pursuit of happiness and that there are no exceptions." (page 125) This statement ignores the fact that sometimes we are forced to choose between the lesser of two evils—not to be happy but to be less unhappy. To cite a drastic example, consider a man on death row choosing between hanging or firing squad. Or as happened to many during the Viet Nam War, go to jail or join the Army. Is either seeking happiness? Obviously not. The are deciding on the less painful choice.
I also found the chapters (17 and 18) on Questioning Drug Effects, and The Illusion of Emotional Relief (respectively), often unpersuasive, especially regarding the authors' reliance on a pharmacological analyses. The authors� seeming indifference to catalytic impact also bothered me. However they did allude to catalytic impact on page 293 where they noted, "The emotional stress relief some people feel at some times while using substances is coming from their own minds."
Another problem I found was that there was much repetition in the book which tended to detract. Perhaps the authors were just trying to hammer things home.
However, I especially liked that the authors suggest at the end of Chapter 9 that some people will by the time they read through the first nine chapters (the first 172 pages of 469 pages total, including 90 pages of Appendices), they will be able to see through the treatment and recovery ruse, and feel free to change. In other words, for some, the book ended there. Those "caught deeper in the trap of recovery mythology" were encouraged to read on. I would describe myself as NOT being in the latter group but kept reading anyway and was not disappointed for having done so. There was much more worthwhile reading that followed.
Chapter 21, on The Benefits of Adjusted Substance Use, I found somewhat perplexing. After referring to “moderation� numerous times previously throughout the book, in Chapter 21 the authors used a different term in its place, i.e., “adjusted substance abuse.� This seemed like a matter of semantics, but the authors disputed that notion saying, “This term, adjusted substance abuse, is not about just a matter of semantics [sic]. The point of it is to get you to think of what you would have to adjust to get better, happier, more satisfying life results for yourself.� (page 343)
Fair enough. And I did appreciate the list that immediately followed regarding the “potential adjustments� that can be made to change substance use habits, e.g., using less per occasion, using safer substances, etc.
In a segment discussing the pitfalls of goal setting toward the end of the text (page 370), the authors express their message very effectively, essentially advising readers to ask themselves “one simple question. Do you believe that you can be happier reducing/quitting your substance use than you can by continuing as it is? That’s it. That’s all you need to know. If you don’t believe you will be happier [or less unhappy, in my view], then you will not be motivated to change.�
Agreed. It’s a question that those folks wondering whether they should quit, moderate, or adjust their substance intake, need to ask themselves. No doubt about it, you’ve got to WANT to change.
May 23, 2022
This is probably the most important book I've read in the last 10 years.
The book explains why the conventional view of treating addiction is detrimental and how to get real success.
The ideas presented in this book challenge conventional wisdom, but are well thought out and explained. I am convinced that anyone struggling with an addiction should read this book and realize how to get freedom.
The central point of the book is that we choose to do things because we see them as the option that brings us the most happiness. In short, we do what we want to do. Stopping ourselves from doing things we want to do is ineffective and counterproductive. We will not stop wanting to do something until we see other options are more beneficial. The appropriate response is to reexamine our beliefs about what we are getting from our action and see if a change in our behavior can bring us more happiness.
This concept probably sounds trite as I just presented it, but I can assure you that it is extremely well presented in the book.
The book is fairly long and in some ways repetitive. I found the repetition to be helpful because it explained the core concept in different ways and tried to address each of the conventional views of addiction.
This is a paradigm shifting book in my world and I will never look at addiction the same again. I am hoping that this book becomes widely read and many people gain freedom to live their best lives.
The book explains why the conventional view of treating addiction is detrimental and how to get real success.
The ideas presented in this book challenge conventional wisdom, but are well thought out and explained. I am convinced that anyone struggling with an addiction should read this book and realize how to get freedom.
The central point of the book is that we choose to do things because we see them as the option that brings us the most happiness. In short, we do what we want to do. Stopping ourselves from doing things we want to do is ineffective and counterproductive. We will not stop wanting to do something until we see other options are more beneficial. The appropriate response is to reexamine our beliefs about what we are getting from our action and see if a change in our behavior can bring us more happiness.
This concept probably sounds trite as I just presented it, but I can assure you that it is extremely well presented in the book.
The book is fairly long and in some ways repetitive. I found the repetition to be helpful because it explained the core concept in different ways and tried to address each of the conventional views of addiction.
This is a paradigm shifting book in my world and I will never look at addiction the same again. I am hoping that this book becomes widely read and many people gain freedom to live their best lives.
November 27, 2018
This is a textbook. Quite a slog. Very repetitive. Could have been quite a bit shorter.
July 30, 2020
Never in my life have I read a book directly contradicting science and filled with more garbage than this one. The only reason I have gaver it a star is because that is the lowest GoodReads can go.
April 28, 2024
finally i finished this tome. I read through half of it but felt like I got lost or was missing something so I restarted and listened to the 16 hour audiobook instead. Excellent book. Really this book shows addiction in an entirely different way than I've ever thought of it before. It really makes you think about the way you see addiction. it also made me feel empowered even though I'm not an addict nor have ever used substances heavily. It made me feel empowered in my day to day life. Anyone interested in addiction, or anyone who feels like they are trapped in addiction should read this book. it'll change the entire way you think about addiction.
The only reason this book is a 4 star instead of 5 star is because the writing I feel like could be improved a little. Some parts seemed redundant or not as clear as I think they could have been. I also think the book could do without quoting people like thomas sowell lol thatdidn't feel necessary or really like it fit with the tone of the book.
The only reason this book is a 4 star instead of 5 star is because the writing I feel like could be improved a little. Some parts seemed redundant or not as clear as I think they could have been. I also think the book could do without quoting people like thomas sowell lol thatdidn't feel necessary or really like it fit with the tone of the book.
November 12, 2024
Gives back to the reader what has been lost to them through erroneous beliefs fed to them throughout their entire lives. This book is a goldmine of information and a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about substance abuse and any other form of «addiction». Sometimes I wished the book would slow down further and explain its points more deeply but from the negative reviews in this comments section I can see that not everybody has the ability to actually focus on what they are being told, which explains a lot. This is a textbook. Straight up. Written by incredibly empathetic, intelligent, and educated teachers that WILL make you see substance abuse (or other types of behaviors) as well as decision making in a completely new way. This book will be to you what you make of it, as it only tries to communicate objective information which may unfortunately fall on deaf ears or on impatient minds. 10/10
August 9, 2022
The only book on this topic anyone should read. Works where other approaches completely will not work
October 17, 2022
I really liked reading the book but it didn't change my life
January 11, 2025
Life changing. The Freedom Model goes against the mainstream view of ´´addiction´´. Addiction is not a biological entity, but rather a strong desire for a certain behavior/substance.
For years I felt broken as a person. Why do I keep doing this when I know it is so damaging? I blamed it on the simple fact that I must have a heavy addiction and I need to avoid triggers for the rest of my life. I need to create a perfect life so I never get ''tempted'' to go back to substances. I must go a certain amount of weeks without the substance so the ''dopamine pathways'' would wither away. I use because of my ''childhood traumas''.
The Freedom Model completely changed this. I learned while reading the book, that the reason why I do this is simply because I really, REALLY like it. I use it to manage my emotions. My MIND likes it, not my physical body. I use substances because its a basic, simple behavior that is perceived by me to be pleasurable.
Once you figure out what kind of needs you are trying to meet with your substance of choice, you can then start the process of devaluing the magic you see in it. The Freedom Model also goes into great detail with this. I saw my substance of choice as a pleasure increasing button which made me escape from all of life's problems. The reality however is that no substance/behavior has the power to do this inherently. Rather, you focus on the buzz of substance (which also is highly subjective) which then makes you forget all your problems through distraction. I was distracting myself, the drug wasn't distracting me.
Eventually you see the substance for what it is. It stimulates neurochemicals and that's it. It doesn't make you escape, it doesn't cure emotional distress, the mind plays a huge role in adding the magical ingredients to the substance to increase its ''pleasure''. Once you figure this out, it clicks. The magic is entirely shattered. You can then move on with your life, since there is nothing to recover from.
I really want to thank the authors from the bottom of my heart for putting in the research to write this book.
For years I felt broken as a person. Why do I keep doing this when I know it is so damaging? I blamed it on the simple fact that I must have a heavy addiction and I need to avoid triggers for the rest of my life. I need to create a perfect life so I never get ''tempted'' to go back to substances. I must go a certain amount of weeks without the substance so the ''dopamine pathways'' would wither away. I use because of my ''childhood traumas''.
The Freedom Model completely changed this. I learned while reading the book, that the reason why I do this is simply because I really, REALLY like it. I use it to manage my emotions. My MIND likes it, not my physical body. I use substances because its a basic, simple behavior that is perceived by me to be pleasurable.
Once you figure out what kind of needs you are trying to meet with your substance of choice, you can then start the process of devaluing the magic you see in it. The Freedom Model also goes into great detail with this. I saw my substance of choice as a pleasure increasing button which made me escape from all of life's problems. The reality however is that no substance/behavior has the power to do this inherently. Rather, you focus on the buzz of substance (which also is highly subjective) which then makes you forget all your problems through distraction. I was distracting myself, the drug wasn't distracting me.
Eventually you see the substance for what it is. It stimulates neurochemicals and that's it. It doesn't make you escape, it doesn't cure emotional distress, the mind plays a huge role in adding the magical ingredients to the substance to increase its ''pleasure''. Once you figure this out, it clicks. The magic is entirely shattered. You can then move on with your life, since there is nothing to recover from.
I really want to thank the authors from the bottom of my heart for putting in the research to write this book.
September 22, 2022
Snake oil.
450 pages to tell you happiness is the route to moderation and elimination of substance abuse. About 75% of the book exists just to bash the 12-step modality and the disease model. The "science" in this book contradicts modern medicine, psychiatry, neuroscience and everything else we understand about addiction and recovery. Granted - they do present many studies that support their theories, but it feels Cherry Picked. They completely ignore every study out there which contradicts it, and thier are MANY!
Far too many misrepresentations and exaggerations. As a lifelong addict myself, I absolutely applied their "solution" more than once in my life and I assume most addicts have. Which is; convince yourself that you will be happier using moderation.
Ironically every addict and alcoholic I know that has been successful in their recovery inevitably convinced themselves of this, it just took time.......
Maybe you CAN skip all of the work leading up to a new frame of reference for your life and move right into controlling your out of control behavior. MAYBE they are right that triggers and Cravings don't exist, that the human mind doesn't get addicted to anything & that moderation of any addiction will be "effortless" once you truly come to believe that your happiest option is THAT!
I just don't buy it.
450 pages to tell you happiness is the route to moderation and elimination of substance abuse. About 75% of the book exists just to bash the 12-step modality and the disease model. The "science" in this book contradicts modern medicine, psychiatry, neuroscience and everything else we understand about addiction and recovery. Granted - they do present many studies that support their theories, but it feels Cherry Picked. They completely ignore every study out there which contradicts it, and thier are MANY!
Far too many misrepresentations and exaggerations. As a lifelong addict myself, I absolutely applied their "solution" more than once in my life and I assume most addicts have. Which is; convince yourself that you will be happier using moderation.
Ironically every addict and alcoholic I know that has been successful in their recovery inevitably convinced themselves of this, it just took time.......
Maybe you CAN skip all of the work leading up to a new frame of reference for your life and move right into controlling your out of control behavior. MAYBE they are right that triggers and Cravings don't exist, that the human mind doesn't get addicted to anything & that moderation of any addiction will be "effortless" once you truly come to believe that your happiest option is THAT!
I just don't buy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2024
If you only read one book on recovering from heavy substance use, read this. I've been in various addiction treatment programs, therapy, rehabs etc over the last twelve years and nothing made more sense, or pointed me more toward a happier life than The Freedom Model. It highlights often ignored research into the true nature of addiction and challenges the disease model. It's intuitive and mirrors my own process in moving away from out of control drinking toward my now happy sobriety.
I felt empowered after reading this book, ready to tackle life after addiction. It helped me with the crippling shame, defectiveness and powerlessness that was beat into me in my earlier years of treatment.
Can't recommend it enough.
That being said, always read these things critically. No one method contains all the answers. I still draw from some other approaches to and research regarding addiction, especially when it comes to trauma and mental health. But TFM is definitely my favourite take on the subject, and I am happy to apply (or at least to reapply because I was already on this track) the wisdom in here to my life. The truth in it, for me, comes from practice. In applying it to my past, my thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours I find it infinitely more descriptive and practical.
I felt empowered after reading this book, ready to tackle life after addiction. It helped me with the crippling shame, defectiveness and powerlessness that was beat into me in my earlier years of treatment.
Can't recommend it enough.
That being said, always read these things critically. No one method contains all the answers. I still draw from some other approaches to and research regarding addiction, especially when it comes to trauma and mental health. But TFM is definitely my favourite take on the subject, and I am happy to apply (or at least to reapply because I was already on this track) the wisdom in here to my life. The truth in it, for me, comes from practice. In applying it to my past, my thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours I find it infinitely more descriptive and practical.
October 4, 2023
Game Changer
This book feels a lot like Allen Carrs Easy Way to Quit Smoking. But it takes Carrs work and brings further truths and agency. Allowing one to recognize we are all making choices (like drinking or using drugs) because we THINK they will make us happy. We can challenge those thoughts one by one. And when we do, we may find that heavy substance use (or any other seemingly “compulsive� behaviour) has been a choice all along - but we’ve made it based on shame, fear, and false-information and beliefs. Once we know the truth, ease easy to make different choices that bring us closer to true happiness. Which may look like abstinence for some. Or moderate use for others. Drop the shame. Drop the “addict� label. See clearly and move forward in happy confidence! A life saving book for anyone struggling. Which, indeed, is all of us.
This book feels a lot like Allen Carrs Easy Way to Quit Smoking. But it takes Carrs work and brings further truths and agency. Allowing one to recognize we are all making choices (like drinking or using drugs) because we THINK they will make us happy. We can challenge those thoughts one by one. And when we do, we may find that heavy substance use (or any other seemingly “compulsive� behaviour) has been a choice all along - but we’ve made it based on shame, fear, and false-information and beliefs. Once we know the truth, ease easy to make different choices that bring us closer to true happiness. Which may look like abstinence for some. Or moderate use for others. Drop the shame. Drop the “addict� label. See clearly and move forward in happy confidence! A life saving book for anyone struggling. Which, indeed, is all of us.
March 28, 2023
The Baldwin Research Institute (BRI) has studied addiction for 30 years. BRI’s team comprising Michelle Dunbar and Steven Slate (both former addicts) along with Mark Scheeren, in their book The Freedom Model for Addictions, explain that addiction is voluntary behaviour. They argue that purely clinical approaches to treatment undermine self-determination, raising rather than reducing dependence. Slate goes further, arguing that treatment isn’t curing addicts, it’s creating them. Apparently both Dunbar and Slate were addicts themselves, giving their insights credibility.
March 23, 2025
It took me a long time to finish reading this book. Even though there's a lot of scientific evidence backing the freedom model, I do not doubt that many will oppose it. This book is revolutionary, mind-blowing, and probably the most important book I've read in many years.
Halfway through reading the book I realized I was free from my stupid internet addiction.
I think the quote by Aristotle sums up this book perfectly.
"We desire in accordance with our deliberation"
Halfway through reading the book I realized I was free from my stupid internet addiction.
I think the quote by Aristotle sums up this book perfectly.
"We desire in accordance with our deliberation"
November 19, 2024
This book flipped my entire view about addiction. There were a lot of valuable discussions in this book, and most of them I would argue were philosophical which was a nice a surprise. Although the book gets quite repetitive throughout the middle but understandably so since the contents of the book might take a while to simmer in for some readers.
4.5/5
4.5/5
August 12, 2024
Life changing!
It gives a completely different perspective on habits and addictions with logical arguments and science based data.
If anything, I wish some chapters were introduced earlier in the book.
It gives a completely different perspective on habits and addictions with logical arguments and science based data.
If anything, I wish some chapters were introduced earlier in the book.
July 21, 2023
This is applicable to all kinds of addictions. Removes the shame aspect by helping people explore why they develop preferences. The twelve step method is hot garbage. This book is gold for anybody.
December 4, 2024
biased, but inspired
December 27, 2024
It’s quite a long book but I quit my porn ‘addiction� based on the knowledge of the book🔥
March 16, 2025
Third review: The book needs to be revised: utility-wise, this is self-help par excellence, it simply suffers from the fashion in which the theory is conveyed. Some chapters are unnecessarily drawn-out, and the examples they use are sub-par. Of course, this is because of their aim to engage with and exhaust the matter from every angle possible. Some parts will be more intuitive for some readers, and other parts for other readers, making rereading most of the substance of certain chapters sometimes tedious or not really necessary, especially when it's one they devoted proportionally more pages towards (I'm looking at you causes vs. reasons chapter).
Second review: Informationally and substancially, this is a revolutionary book. But it suffers from minor things like tones clashing, reading like a blog at times and a formal textbook at others, and one may have some trouble as I did absorbing information coming from clunky paragraphs whose overall message is hard to equate or relate to what is said in the heading or subheadings.
First review: Need to let this rest and digest in my mind before I rate it. I am otherwise very glad I read this at this point in my life. At a certain point it felt like I was reading something more like an ethical treatise concerning humans' free will (the chapter that mentions Sowell in the square-bracket parenthetical at the end). But in the end it is an addiction recovery manual. And I'd say it's very solid.
Second review: Informationally and substancially, this is a revolutionary book. But it suffers from minor things like tones clashing, reading like a blog at times and a formal textbook at others, and one may have some trouble as I did absorbing information coming from clunky paragraphs whose overall message is hard to equate or relate to what is said in the heading or subheadings.
First review: Need to let this rest and digest in my mind before I rate it. I am otherwise very glad I read this at this point in my life. At a certain point it felt like I was reading something more like an ethical treatise concerning humans' free will (the chapter that mentions Sowell in the square-bracket parenthetical at the end). But in the end it is an addiction recovery manual. And I'd say it's very solid.
September 17, 2024
An amazing and fascinating books on - actually - habits. It challenges the current mainstream (but scientifically and result-wise empty) model of addiction and it proposes a more modern choice-based framework which seems to be the cutting edge of addiction treatment and also any other habit change (from changing your diet to improving your career or getting happier)...
... as well as the most fitting and scientifically-recognised model as per research and new trends in the last few years.
... as well as the most fitting and scientifically-recognised model as per research and new trends in the last few years.
August 29, 2019
Excellent if over long in places. Argued very well against the disease/addiction dogma. If the addiction definition works for you then good but this is a well formulated argument for free will and freedom. Could have been a lot better if it told people HOW to change their thinking or HOW to actively create a vision for themselves.
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