Addiction and Art

Patricia B. Santora, Margaret L. Dowell, Jack E. Henningfield

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9781421400235
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Occupational Therapy
• Index: Psychology

Highly Commended in Psychiatry, 2011 BMA Medical Book Awards. British Medical Association

Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is one of the major public health issues of our time. It accounts for one of every five deaths in the United States and costs approximately one-half trillion dollars per year in health care expenditures and lost productivity. Its human costs are untold and perhaps uncountable. Addiction and Art puts a human face on addiction through the creative work of individuals who have been touched by it.

The art included here presents unique stories about addiction. Many pieces are stark representations of life on the edge. Others are disturbing contemplations of life, meaning, and death. Some even reflect the allure of addiction and a fondness for substance abuse. A panel of addiction scientists, artists, and professionals from the art world selected the 61 pieces included here from more than 1, 000 submissions. Accompanied by a written statement from the artist, each creation is emblematic of the destructive power of addiction and the regenerative power of recovery.

Stunning and occasionally unsettling, this unique portfolio reveals addiction art as a powerful complement to addiction science.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• ONE Cultivating the Visual Arts to Stimulate Insights into Addiction and Recovery
• TWO How the Visual Arts Capture the Complexity of Addiction
• THREE Art Complements Science A Collection of Addiction Art and Artists’ Statements
• Epilogue
• APPENDIX A Addiction Art Advisory Board
• APPENDIX B “Call to Artists”: Method of Gathering Art for This Collection
• Notes
• Index of Contributing Artists