Desire
Description
Elegantly written and thoughtfully composed, Cheever's book combines unsparing and intimate memoir, interviews and stories, hard science and psychology to explore the difference between falling in love and falling prey to an addiction. Part one defines what addiction is and how it works -- the obsession, the betrayals, the broken promises to oneself and others. Part two explores the possible causes of addiction -- is it nature or nurture, a permanent condition or a temporary derangement? Part three considers what we can do about it, including a provocative suggestion about how we describe and treat addiction, and a look at the importance of community and storytelling.
In the end, there are no easy answers. "A straight look about some crooked feelings," Desire shows us the difference between the addiction that cripples our emotions, and healthy, empowering love that enhances our lives.
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Content
contentspart one: what is it?
The Bride, the Groom, and the Dog 3
The Broken Promise 9
Bill Wilson 21
Abusers vs. Addicts 35
The Brain 43
Trance and Obsession 51
Tolerance and Shame 63
Adultery 73
part two: what causes it?
Repetition 83
The Body 93
Old Age Is a New Thing 103
Environment 107
Is Sex Addiction the Male Version of Female Bulimia? 113
All of the Above 119
part three: what can we do about it?
Let's Change the Way We Describe Addiction 127
A Community of One 135
Storytelling 143
How Others Tell the Story 153
Conscience and Remorse 159
The Dog Again 165
Bibliography 171
