Additional Resources

• "Effect of early and later colony housing on oral ingestion of morphine in rats."
  Alexander, Bruce K., et al. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 15.4 (1981): 571-576.

• "The Naked Empress. Modern neuro­science and the concept of addiction."
  Peter Cohen (2009), Presentation at the 12th Plaform for Drug Treatment, Mondsee Austria, 21­22 March 2009.

• "Time to connect: bringing social context into addiction neuroscience."
  Nat Rev Neurosci. 2016 September ; 17(9): 592–599. doi:10.1038/nrn.2016.67.

• "Social influences on Neuroplasticity: Stress and Interventions to Promote Well-being."
  Nature Neuroscience, Volume 15, Number 5, May 2012

• "The Molecular Neurobiology of Twelve Steps Program & Fellowship: Connecting the Dots for Recovery."
  J Reward Defic Syndr. 2015 ; 1(1): 46–64. doi:10.17756/jrds.2015-008.

• "Brain Health and the Science of Spirituality."
  By Jeff Skolnick, MD, Ph.D

• "How Social Isolation Is Killing Us."
  Dhruv Khullar NYT, 12/22/16

• American Carnage: The New Landscape of Opioid Addiction
  By Christopher Caldwell

• Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong
  By Johann Hari

• Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions
  Johann Hari

  A brilliant synthesis of work across many disciplines showing how a lack of meaning, hope, relationships, nature, or other basic needs can be the ultimate cause of our prevalent mental health issues, including anxiety and addiction.

• Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
  John Cacioppo

  A broad look at our inherently gregarious nature: how we're designed to be constantly interacting with others, down to the cellular level, and just how much can go terribly wrong when we're lonely.

• Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect
  Matthew Lieberman Broadway Books, 2014

  Another look at why the pain of loneliness shows up just like physical pain in the brain: because our need for empathy, for real human connection, is even more fundamental than our need for food and water.

• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
  Gabor Mate North Atlantic Books, 2010

  A grueling account of work among the those hovering on the edge of death, showing the poignant reality of what a lonely childhood, even among the most caring family, can do. A distracted or stressed out parent, despite their best intentions, communicates anxiety to their child, and this unease can last a lifetime. For more on this topic, see also Mate's previous book, Scattered.

• The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit
  Bruce Alexander Oxford University Press, 2010

  A history of "dislocation," the dynamic by which individuals and entire societies are uprooted and disconnected from the necessities of mental health. By the creator of the "Rat Park" experiment.

• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
  Marshall Rosenberg Puddledancer Press, 2003

  Possibly the most valuable solution to every crisis we face, from addiction to climate change, this book outlines a "life-serving" approach to relating with each other and ourselves. Based on empathy, it argues that anything is possible once we share our feelings and our needs.

• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
  Eckhart Tolle Penguin, 2008

  An incredible modern exposition of ancient wisdom pointing to the universal human challenge of overcoming the illusion of the ego: the false idea of separation that underlies loneliness, violence, and addiction, the insatiable need for "more."