Though OxyContin provides effective, long-acting relief from pain, it has its dark side, Rush Limbaugh's addiction being only one of the examples of it. OxyContin is an opiate and thus addictive, and if used in conjunction with alcohol or other drugs, it can be deadly. Pinsky, an expert in chemical dependency and co-host of MTV's "Loveline," offers a sober and plainly written introduction to OxyContin and other new painkillers, including how they work and how they are abused. (Publisher's Weekly)

Understand the disease model of drug abuse and that you didn't cause it, overcome family confusion, denial, and excuses to get your child the help he needs, find allies in the community, know what to look for in chemical assessment and treatment facilities, gain serenity and happiness for yourself and learn that you are not alone.

An engaging story of a man's life destroyed by drugs and his attempt to reconstruct it through a long stay in a rehabilitation clinic. Although this book became notorious due to questionable events referenced by the author, A Million Little Pieces still holds up as a persuasive and well-written account of addiction.

Codependency is an important aspect of the interpersonal dynamic among people with addictive disorders. Codependent people find themselves obsessed in often futile ways with controlling someone who repeatedly makes trouble for him- or herself or others. Few people understand this idea as well as Melody Beattie, an author recovering successfully from a variety of addictive disorders and entanglements. In this popular work, she combines real-life stories with lucid explanations of the concepts that define every part of the codependent syndrome.

Dr. Drew of "Loveline" provides a hard-nosed look at the realities of a detox clinic, from the patients' physical illness and flashbacks to doctors' letdown when a patient quits the program and returns to addiction.