Most Popular Books by Robert WEST

The word ‘addiction’ these days is used to refer to a chronic condition where there is an unhealthily powerful motivation to engage in a particular behaviour. This can be driven by many different factors – physiological, psychological, environmental and social. If we say that it is all about X, we miss V, W, Y and Z. So, some people think addicts are using drugs to escape from unhappy lives, feelings of anxiety and so on; many are. Some people think drugs become addictive because they alter the brain chemistry to create powerful urges; that is often true. Others think that drug taking is about seeking after pleasure; often it is. Some take the view that addiction is a choice – addicts weigh up the pros and cons of doing what they do and decide the former outweigh the latter. Yet others believe that addicts suffer from poor impulse control; that is often true... And so it goes on. When you look at the evidence, you see that all these positions capture important aspects of the problem – but they are not complete explanations. Neuroscience can help us delve more deeply into some of these explanations, while the behavioural and social sciences are better at exploring others. We need a model that puts all this together in a way that can help us decide what to do in different cases. Should we prescribe a drug, give the person some ‘tender loving care’, put them in prison or what? Theory of Addiction provides this synthesis. The first edition was well received: ‘Throughout the book the reader is exposed to a vast number of useful observations...The theoretical aims are timely, refreshing, ambitious and above all challenging. It opens up a new way of looking at addiction and has the potential to move the field of addiction a considerable leap forward. Thus we wholeheartedly would like to recommend the book for students as well as scholars. Read and learn!’ Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ‘The book provides a comprehensive review of existing theories - over 30 in all - and this synthesis of theories constitutes an important contribution in and of itself... West is to be commended for his synthesis of addiction theories that span neurobiology, psychology and social science and for his insights into what remains unexplained.’ Addiction This new edition of Theory of Addiction builds on the first, including additional theories in the field, a more developed specification of PRIME theory and analysis of the expanding evidence base. With this important new information, Theory of Addiction will continue to be essential reading for all those working in addiction, from student to experienced practitioner – as urged above, Read and learn!

The Great Iron Trail brilliantly recounts how the blood, sweat, tears and dollars of the dreamers, explorers, inventors, iron men, graders and financiers combined to build America''s first transcontinental railroad. Only a century ago, the United States consisted of two littoral encampments on the East and West coasts. The perilous sailing trip around Cape Horn took from four to six months; the plague-ridden shortcut across the Panama Isthmus required five weeks; on the trails crossing the 2,000 miles of "The Great American Desert," stagecoaches and prairie schooners faced a deadly gamut of Indian attacks, starvation, fevers and blizzards. The momentous task of conquering a continent began on July 2, 1862, when, in the face of successive defeats of the Union''s armies, Abraham Lincoln signed The Pacific Railway Act. During the next seven years shrewd manipulators, improvising geniuses and nameless heroes laid the tracks, foot by painful foot, from the eastern and western terminals. Construction of the 2,000 miles of high-iron between Omaha and Sacramento was marked by the fetid breath of Credit Mobilier scandals and The Associates'' ruthless drive to economic power. The railhead towns of North. Platte, Julesberg, Cheyenne, Laramie, became "the worst hell-holes on earth"; gamblers, cutthroats and ladies of easy virtue organized their "Hell-on-Wheels" for the Irish, German and "Galvanized Yankee" track gangs. On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific locomotives, "facing on a single track, half a world behind each back," touched cowcatchers at Promontory Point, Utah.

A history of inland and coastal water transportation in North America. Examines Indian birchbark canoes, rafts, keelboats, barges, steamboats, bullboats, sternwheelers, and oarboats; and describes boat building, piracy, and navigation problems as well as the colorful language, legends, and songs of the boatmen.

Know Your Star-FightersBeamer: California transplant to a weird Midwestern town. Feels like he’s living on another planet. Scilla: the gangly tomboy next door. Ghoulie: the class nerd. Add one spaceship-shaped tree house capable of taking them most anywhere in the universe. Hop in and blast off for fantastic outer space adventures in Star-Fighters of Murphy Street—the quirky, funny, fast-paced new trilogy by Robert West.Taking a shortcut home from school, the Star-Fighters are chased by a horrible one-eyed creature into a cavern that houses an entire miniature world. Everything is animated—cars, trucks, moon, clouds, stars—but no one is at the controls. Who would make such a thing and then abandon it?The Star-Fighters’ search leads them on a wild adventure to a palatial mansion within a wintry jungle that hides a terrible secret—a secret that defines the limits of trusting God.

Designing Interventions'' brings together theory-based tools developed in behavioural science to understand and change behaviour to form a step-by-step intervention design manual. This book is for anyone with an interest in changing behaviour regardless of whether they have a background in behavioural science.

Lollygag, by Robert West, is an engaging and powerful story. Based on his experiences working on a real-life wagon train with VisionQuest, an innovative program for at-risk teens, Robert witnessed firsthand that adversity and the healing power of the animals, especially the mules provided troubled teens with a path of honor that allowed them to heal and to turn their lives around. VisionQuest founder Bob Burton called the VQ mules aEURoeour best therapistsaEUR. Robert has captured perfectly the spirit of his experience on the wagon train and the joy in seeing traumatized children find positive rites of passage to adulthood. . . . VisionQuest is a nationally recognized company that has touched the lives of over 80,000 at risk teens. Started in 1973 by Bob Burton and Steve Rogers, VisionQuest was founded on the premise that at-risk youth need positive rites of passage in order to make the successful transition into adulthood and to break the cycle of failure created by a broken juvenile system. In the 1970''s through the 1990''s VisionQuest''s core programs included, wagon trains, sailing on tall ships and wilderness experiences designed to provide teen with these extraordinary experiences. Although a changing child welfare and juvenile system no longer supports this type of programming VisionQuest remains committed to providing at-risk teens the safety and stability they lack in their lives using trauma-informed and evidence-based programming. VisionQuest currently operates residential and community-based programs in 5 states.

Cigarette smoking is one of the most significant preventable causes of death and illness in the world. Given the wide-ranging effects smoking has on many disease processes, it is essential that clinicians understand: • the short- and long-term effects of smoking on the body • the benefits of smoking cessation • why smokers find it difficult to stop • the role of clinicians in promoting and supporting smoking cessation • the treatments available to help smokers overcome their addiction. ''Fast Facts: Smoking Cessation'' meets these needs: here, in one place, you will find all the information you need on smoking, tobacco addiction and how best to treat the addiction. Ultimately, the best reason for reading this book is to help your patients who smoke to change their behavior for the better and sustainably. Every GP and support clinic will benefit from this edition, filled with tips, advice and treatment aids for the clinical team. Contents: • Cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system • Smoking patterns • Social, psychological and economic influences on smoking • Effects of smoking and smoking cessation • Addiction to cigarettes • The clinician and smoking • Treatments to aid smoking cessation • Future trends

Life is the most important possession we have. Without it, there is nothing. Only by the resurrection at the second coming of Christ will anyone have life after death. After the resurrection, the fate of those who are in Christ: [1] Eternal life [Romans 6:23] [2]"Shall inherit eternal life" [Matthew 19:29] [3] After the judgment they "shall go away into eternal life" [Matthew 25:46] [4] Will "have eternal life" [John 3:5] [5] Christ will raise them up on the last day [John 6:40] [6] Will be immortal after the resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:5156] [7] Will have incorruption [1 Corinthians 15:42] [8] Will have glory [1 Corinthians 15:43] [9] Will be like Christ "We shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is" [1 John 3:2] [10] Are "heirs according to the hope of eternal life" [Titus 3:7] [11] Will have a spiritual body [1 Corinthians 15:44] [12] "And as we have borne the image of the earthly (The earthly flesh and blood body of Adam was made to live on this earth but it "cannot inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Corinthians 15:50), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (Shall be like the spiritual body of Christ for life in Heaven) [1 Corinthians 15:4756] [13] "Will never perish" [John 10:28] [14] Forever with the Lord [1 Thessalonians 4:17] [15] Many mansions in my father''s house: "In my Father''s house (Who is in Heaven, Matthew 5:16; 5:45; 5:48; 6:1; 6:9; 7:21; 10:3233) are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you."

What do you believe about souls? There are many very different doctrines taught in the world today concerning souls that are believed to be in all humans. By most a soul is believed to be something that is wholly apart from the person a soul is in; that a soul is something that is that is believed to be complete in its self without the person; it will live after the person it is in is dead; it is believed that a soul will exist forever without the person; it will never be dead; therefore, a soul cannot be resurrected from the dead. It is believed that a soul must live someplace forever, and it will live either in Heaven or Hell even if there is no resurrection. The doctrine of unconditional immortality of a deathless soul being in a person, and that soul leaving that person at the death of the person makes it impossible for Christ to have give His life to save that soul from death; if a soul had immortality it would already have life and could never not have life; all Christ could do is give it a reward or punish it.