The Age of Addiction

David T. Courtwright
Paperback, 336 pages
9780674248229

How Bad Habits Became Big Business

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. The Age of Addiction 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.

Contents
1 Newfound Pleasures
2 Mass Pleasures
3 Liberating-Enslaving Pleasures
4 Anti-Vice Activism
5 Pro-Vice Activism
6 Food Addictions
7 Digital Addictions
8 Against Excess