More Reviews for:

Drugs, Alcohol & Tobacco: Learning About Addictive Behavior — Print

"Gr 7 Up — This reworking of the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior is targeted at younger and general readers. The 190 alphabetically arranged articles range form one to six pages in length and yield a comprehensive look at the nature of, treatments for, and social issues surrounding addictive substances and behaviors. Topics include specific drugs, diagnoses, treatments, legal and social implications, drug trafficking, cultural pressures, and related compulsive behaviors such as cutting. On the topics of alcohol and alcoholism alone, there are more than 25 articles. ... Tables, graphs, and narrative sidebars augment the entries, as do captioned color photographs and diagrams. Terms defined in the margins are of particular help. Individual articles are effectively cross-referenced. A selected bibliography is included in each volume with citations for articles, nonfiction and fiction titles, and Web sites specific to several areas of interest. ... The attractive layout and handy reference features make this an adolescent-friendly compilation of authoritative articles."
School Library Journal (June 2003)

"Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco cause a multitude of effects in the lives of children and teenagers. Drawing on the previously published Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior (Macmillan, 2d. ed, 2001), this set is designed to interest and educate students in middle school and older as well as general browsers. This work contains more than 200 alphabetically arranged articles addressing the nature of, treatments for, and social issues surrounding addictive substances and behaviors. Articles from the previously published set have been revised to suit the needs of younger readers, their teachers and parents, and nonspecialists. ...Articles are clear and well written, and the appealing layout includes photographs, diagrams, and sidebars that mention interesting facts or suggest fiction titles that deal with similar issues. ... Each volume begins with a complete table of contents and concludes with a comprehensive glossary, annotated bibliography (including Web sites), and index (volume 3 contains a cumulative index). A listing of organizations (including addresses, phone numbers, and Web sites) to contact for further information or assistance is also provided. ... Containing sufficient information to serve the needs of a variety of student users, this set will appeal to the casual browser as well. It is recommended for junior- and senior-high school and public libraries. It is broader in scope than Gale's Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students which has entries for 50 drugs, but not for other, related topics."
-- Booklist (May 2003)

"While this topic may be covered in other references and non-fiction books in your library, this volume is particularly attractive for several reasons. It has wonderful color charts, graphs, maps and sidebars, and even a few color photographs. The format is soothing, with easy-to-read charts and graphs, and wide margins. The margins contain helpful definitions and occasional "see also" messages. A total of 190 articles have been written expressively to reach children and young adults. Each volume duplicates the complete table of contents and the back matter: photo and illustration credits, organizations of interest (with addresses, phone numbers, Web sites and e-mail address), a six-page selected bibliography with Web sites and a 15-page glossary. Each index is for that volume and a cumulative index is in volume 3. Teachers who haven't kept up may appreciate the "slang and jargon in the drug world." Of particular interest to this reviewer was the section on ethnic, cultural and religious issues in drug use and treatment. This book can be used by good readers in fifth grade through high school. It is highly recommended because of its format. An excellent purchase."
Blanche Wools and David Loertscher's online Reference for Students (March 2003)

"Presenting the interconnectivity of addictive behavior and society, the editor of this work has included the historical background and social impacts of addictive substances and behavior along with encyclopedic definitions of terms in entries. Composed of both current topics, such as "binge drinking" or "terrorism and drugs," and revisions of authoritative articles such as "cocaine" or "cocaine treatment" originally published in the 2d edition of the Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior (see ARBA 2002, entry 868), the content is easily understood by the general reader, middle school level and above. Alphabetically arranged, lengthier entries include sidebar comments describing such information as connotations of terms found there, or the explanation of a graph used to present statistical information for that subject. These articles offer cross-references to other articles within the set for further research. ... Color photographs and illustrations, good quality paper, eye-catching fonts, and attractive binding of the set ensure that this will be a viable reference tool for several years. ... This set is recommended as a suitable purchase for libraries needing an entry-level treatment of this topic."
ARBA (January 2003)