books tell about addiction medication

 

Here are some of the best and most informative books specifically about addiction medicine, medications for addiction treatment (MAT), opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and related topics. They range from clinical textbooks to more accessible overviews written for clinicians, counselors, or motivated patients/families.

Clinical Textbooks / Reference Books

1. The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine (7th edition, 2024) – Editor: Shannon Miller The “bible” of addiction medicine. Very comprehensive chapters on all forms of medication-assisted treatment (methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram, etc.).
2. The ASAM Criteria (2023 edition) + ASAM Handbook of Addiction Medicine (2nd ed., 2020) Practical, evidence-based guidance on when and how to use addiction medications in different levels of care.
3. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives (2019) – National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Short, free, authoritative consensus report that summarizes all the evidence for methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.
4. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder – TIP 63 (2021) – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Free 300+ page federal guideline. Extremely detailed and practical; the standard reference used by most U.S. treatment programs.

Focused on Opioid Use Disorder & Buprenorphine

5. The Buprenorphine Handbook (latest edition) – American Society of Addiction Medicine Pocket guide for prescribers.
6. Treating Opioid Use Disorder: A Fact Book (2022) – Andrew Saxon & colleagues Concise, evidence-based, very readable.
7. “Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction” (2019) – Judith Grisel Neuroscientist and former addict explains how all addictive drugs work in the brain and why medications (especially agonists/antagonists) help.

Alcohol Use Disorder Medications

8. The Cure for Alcoholism (2012, updated) – Roy Eskapa Popular book about the Sinclair Method (naltrexone + controlled drinking). Somewhat controversial but influential.
9. Handbook of Alcoholism Treatment Approaches (5th ed.) – Reid Hester & William Miller Classic text; excellent chapters on acamprosate, naltrexone, disulfiram, and topiramate/gabapentin off-label use.

Stimulants, Benzodiazepines & Emerging Treatments

10. Medications for Substance Use Disorders: The Promise of Evidence-Based Therapies (in press 2025) – Marc Potenza, Brian Kiluk, et al. New textbook that covers cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, and benzodiazepine use disorders (where pharmacotherapy options are still limited but growing).

Patient/Family-Focused Books That Explain Medications Well

11. Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change (2014) – Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens (CMC: Foundation for Change) Uses CRAFT and explains medication options in very accessible language.
12. Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction (2016) – Maia Szalavitz Excellent chapters on why agonist therapies (methadone & buprenorphine) work and the history of the opposition to them.
13. If You Love Somebody Who is Addicted (new 2024 edition) – Claudia Black & David Stoecker Updated edition has good sections on what the medications actually do and how to support someone on MAT.

Free Online Resources That Read Like Books

• SAMHSA TIP 63 (2021) – https://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-63-Medications-for-Opioid-Use-Disorder
• Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) modules and handbooks – https://pcssnow.org/medications-for-opioid-use-disorder/
• National Academy of Medicine 2019 report (free PDF)

If you tell me which substance (opioids, alcohol, stimulants, etc.) or which audience (clinician, patient/family member, policymaker) you’re most interested in, I can narrow it down even further!