I loved the introduction. I couldn't believe this book was written in 1992 and I couldn't wait to see what it would hold. I wasn't disappointed as far thought-provoking content, but the writing and the opinions were a little overwhelming at times.



The book was pretty sensationalist at times, but you'd have to be to defend the type of sweeping claims he makes throughout. I don't entirely disagree, but it's so over the top that I find myself shying away from wanting to give it credence. For instan

I loved the introduction. I couldn't believe this book was written in 1992 and I couldn't wait to see what it would hold. I wasn't disappointed as far thought-provoking content, but the writing and the opinions were a little overwhelming at times.



The book was pretty sensationalist at times, but you'd have to be to defend the type of sweeping claims he makes throughout. I don't entirely disagree, but it's so over the top that I find myself shying away from wanting to give it credence. For instance, I understand and agree with most of his points about recreational drugs, but what does he think about medicines like antibiotics and our current problem of antibiotic resistant disease strains? Obviously that wasn't an issue at the time this was published, but it definitely would've become one a lot sooner if we had a free market in all drugs like Szasz proposes.



I'm not sure if he believed it or was just making a point about moral or family values, but free condoms and financial support for mother and baby are not "rewards" for non-marital sex.



I was initially impressed that the chapter entitled "Blacks and Drugs" opened with the authors admission that he was not black and therefore could not speak on their behalf, but it quickly devolved as he delved into the issue of who could speak for them, despite acknowledging that black people are not a homogeneous population but a group of individuals... then started talking about "black racists and white liberals" and it got worse from there.



Until the chapter specifically about prescription drugs (the last), I was very confused as to his stance on such drugs as anti-depressants, sleeping pills, and blood pressure pills that have very real, very terrible side effects and cannot just be taken as people please. This sentence in Chapter 8 is a very important counterpoint to his entire argument of the whole book: "Admittedly, in our contemporary American society, it is chimerical to expect people to assume responsibility for informing themselves about drugs and for adhering to the principle of caveat emptor."



I kept wanting to recommend this book to friends and see what they thought of it, but I was forced to realize that the writing is pretty dry and dense, and wouldn't be enjoyable reading for most people. The subject matter is very intriguing and worth digesting and debating, but it does feel very much like reading strongly opinionated academic papers. I just really didn't like the author or his views and while I agree with some of the things he says, he just takes it all way too far and gets way too judgmental while claiming to not believe in judging people. He openly admits to believing compassion is a weakness, but he treats people like nothing but numbers and concepts. This book is good for theory and for teasing out your own thoughts, but there's no way that what was written here could ever be feasible.



I do believe that coercing mentally ill people into hospitalization or drug addicts who don't want help is wrong, but Szasz fails to consider addicts or drug abusers who DO choose to go to rehab because they DO feel out of control and need help resisting the temptation of drugs to do the things they want in life, such as being their for their children and families. It all makes a lot more sense as I skimmed his Goodreads bio and found out he was a prominent figure of the anti-psychiatry movement.



Overall, it was an incredibly interesting read and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking information about possible alternatives or methods of drug legalization as marijuana propositions will be brought to the ballot very soon!



Some good quotes:



"In short, the aim of real drug education ought ot be to encourage not drug avoidance, but good drug-using habits, that is, using drugs knowledgeably, responsibly, and with self-discipline."



"If the state (official medicine) certifies you as sick and gives you drugs-- regardless of whether you need them or not, whether they help you or not, even whether you want them or not-- then you are a patient receiving treatment; but if you buy your own drugs and take them on your own initiative-- because you feel you need them, or, worse, because you want to give yourself peace of mind or pleasure-- then you are an addict engaged in drug abuse."