The age of addiction How bad habits became big business

Courtwright (Univ. of North Florida) is a historian whose previous work on the context of addiction includes Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World (CH, Oct'01, 39-1090). Despite its title, this new book is a history not only of addiction but also of the pleasures that can lead to excess and of their commodification. Courtwright's study draws on diverse fields of study. It begins in ancient agriculture, which yielded alcohol and tobacco, and extends to modern digital addictions. It covers illegal and legal drugs, sugar and tobacco, pornography and prostitution, and many other "vices," demonstrating how "limbic capitalism" spread their popularization. Courtwright's tone makes it difficult to avoid reading moral judgment into his writing. He critiques anti-vice movements as well as the commercial forces that have promoted pleasures and gives passing acknowledgment to the value of some comforts, but his position is not neutral; he sees the commodification of pleasure as a harmful phenomenon that must be acted against. Well-defined chapter topics and an index lead to specific forms or eras of commodified pleasures, but a larger argument runs through the book. Courtwright's case is thoroughly researched, convincingly argued, and informative. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels. --William L. Svitavsky, Rollins College

Historian Courtwright (Forces of Habit) offers a sweeping, ambitious account of the evolution of addiction: rooted in humans' natural instinct to seek pleasure, helped along by scientific breakthroughs and the development of state power and the global economy, and continually reinforced by the efforts of entrepreneurs and advertisers. The author terms this limbic capitalism, "a technologically advanced but socially regressive business system in which global industries... encourage excessive consumption and addiction [by targeting] the part of the brain responsible for feeling and quick reaction." Courtwright begins by considering the pursuit of pleasure in the form of "food-drugs" (such as alcohol, tobacco, and opium) and enthralling games such as chess, furthered by globalization, industrialization, and urbanization in the 18th century. In the modern era, affordability, advertising, and anomie promoted addiction to a variety of substances and commodities so that, by the new millennium, "multinational distribution and marketing machines had built a scaffolding of persuasion... around a range of products that carried a serious risk of habituation and harm." Courtwright considers the contemporary debates about digital addiction, and concludes by reminding the reader of the benefits of moderation in all things, including public health policy. This bold, thought-provoking synthesis will appeal to fans of "big history" in the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.