Books : How to Quit Without Feeling S**t: The fast, highly effective way to end addiction to caffeine, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs

Rating: - Groundbreaking contribution to enhancement of life!
I love this book. In a society like the UK where substance abuse is not just socially acceptable but often revered (especially in the City of London's legal circles where I work), this book provides a great understanding of how substances have reprogrammed the brain and indeed interfered with its own mechanisms to do much the same thing as they do!

Yes, it is technical, but a subject such as this one needs to be spelt out in the most technical terms possible in my opinion, for people to get a real understanding of what caffeine, sugar and alcohol are really doing. It makes one so angry to think that in the name of profit, large coffee companies, drug companies and even food manufacturers care as little about what additions to their food/drink do to us, and think nothing of having us as permanently stressed addicts in need of a quick fix ("have a coffee/have a fag/have a drink/have a chocolate") without thinking at all of the long term effects.

The book could indeed be more user-friendly for those who are not particularly interested in reading about brain chemistry. But I definitely love it and would recommend this book whole-heartedly for anyone serious about getting in shape US-style and kicking stupid habits that leave you stressed, tired and looking like an old person by the time you are 30! Go Patrick Holford!

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Rating: - Helpful for alleviating abstinence symptoms.
It is undoubtedly true that nutrition plays an important part in maintaining mental and emotional equilibrium.

This book sets out, in some detail, many of the biochemical factors which may influence the way we feel. It suggests foods and supplements which may be beneficial for generating a sense of well-being. It is a very informative book and gives a useful account of the association between the various neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine etc.) and mood.

Some parts of the book are more suitable for specialists with some knowledge of biochemistry than they are for the general reader. Some of the suggested regimes of supplements seem rather complicated (and possibly expensive).

I would have found the book even more impressive if it had suggested more practical means of improving our ordinary diet to produce the desired effects.

Instead, we find the following types of advice "When you are feeling anxious...take GABA, tryptophan, 5-HTP or taurine.", "When you...feel apathetic, take tyrosine.", "When you are feeling hypersensitive...take DL-phenylalanine"..."To offset cravings, take glutamine or GABA". For those who "...are sicker and feel more hopeless than others..." it is suggested that "intravenous nutrient therapy" is appropriate.

It is usually desirable for people who suffer from addictive disorders to get away from the idea that the solutions to all of their problems are to be found in the contents of more pills, potions and syringes. Nevertheless, a great deal of work has clearly gone into the production of this book and the information which it contains looks extremely useful.

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Rating: - big heavy and unreadable
the book is more than 500 pages long. for all i know the book may contain some gems of information or it may just be bogus science and hot air. by the time i got to brain chemistry with s-adenosyl methionone and tri-methyl glycine and homocysteine i gave up and chucked the book in the woodburner. at least it produced some useful hot air!

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Rating: - Unanswered questions
A number of questions occur to me in connection with this book. The Introduction consists mainly of a torrent of extravagant and unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of the 'nutritional' approach to addiction. Amongst all this puffery, however, is this interesting statement:

"Our How to Quit programme is safe...you can...use it alongside other programmes that you are following... It doesn't replace any other invaluable methods - such as counselling or Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) - it just makes quitting any substance...easier." (p.9)

We are not told whether the impressive-sounding 'success rate' claimed for this system is derived from samples of people who use this nutritional programme on its own - or who use it in conjunction with other methods. This is rather a crucial point.

Approach it with caution. It may not be quite what it seems.