Why is the brain so vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and other drugs? How does addiction echo through families, cultures, and history? What is it that families and communities do to promote or prevent addiction? These are some of the questions that this thorough, thoughtful, and well-reasoned book answers--in clear, comprehensible terms. From the basics of brain chemistry to the workings of particular drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, "The Selfish Brain" explains how individuals and communities become trapped in destructive habits--and how various treatments and approaches lead to recovery and whole, healthy lives. A practicing psychiatrist, Robert L. Dupont, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He was the first director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a director of the White House Drug Abuse Prevention Office.