17.6 million Americans abuse or are dependent on alcohol; seven million more abuse or depend on other drugs. But until recently, few understood that addiction is a chronic medical disease, not a personal or moral weakness. Unfortunately, the old understandings still penetrate our culture, affecting even the treatment programs used to battle addiction. Using this scientific approach, readers will learn to conquer the physical factors that keep them tied to addiction. Dr. Urschel's program triples the success rate of patients to 90 percent, opening a whole new world of overcoming addiction for those who struggle to battle this disease.