Book

Buzzed. The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs – Cynthia Kuhn
Jackson Keimig. 8/15/12. RHS Honors Biology

Buzzed, by Cynthia Kuhn, has a simple yet enormously broad topic. To give undeniable facts about the most used and abused drugs to the reader. The author tried to do this in a way that was very understandable to any appropriate reader that picked up the book. Ultimately Buzzed was made to give people the ability to make informed decisions on drug use. Each individual drug or class of drugs mentioned in the book came with common main points. First the history of drug back to its earliest known use would be given to the reader. Then, Kuhn would discuss how the drug or drugs move through the body. Consecutively, the reader would learn how the drug(s) moves through the body and/or brain. Lastly, the author would give lists of drugs that if taken under the influence of the previously discussed drug, could cause major injury or even death. Cynthia Kuhn’s book is very unique in its argument – there isn’t one. Buzzed is very neutral and strictly fact based. The book literally contains purely facts, and possible conclusions from recent studies with science’s latest technologies. The book’s goal is obvious, not to persuade, only to inform. With this basis of a book, there is no thesis or correct conclusion for the reader. What the reader concludes is purely up to their own opinions and thoughts. It is up to him or her to decide if they would take a specific drug, if it should be legal, and even what should be thought of it. What Buzzed gives to the reader, and what they decide to do with it is different for each person. In my opinion, Cynthia Kuhn achieved her purpose. She provided an “encyclopedia” on the most used and abused drugs in society today. It is formatted so that even a teenager could understand the content. Also, the book stayed completely neutral and factual to the reader, and focused on the goal to educate, not persuade. As the book’s catchphrase states, “Just Say Know.” I feel that the information in this book is very applicable to my everyday life. I will now be able to make decisions in my life pertaining to drugs, and have knowledge to back up my choice. Buzzed can also aid me as an encyclopedia to any drug I may be curious about, dangerous or not. It is now within my power to tell a family member, friend, or colleague if a certain drug is “worth it,” and it’s affects. Cynthia Kuhn created a great and very useful book, however like all novels, it has its strengths and weaknesses. Buzzed is very good at putting out raw facts and “untainted” conclusions from studies. All of this very useful information is put into different classes of drugs, organized neatly, and is extremely easy to find. With these easy to find facts on specific drugs, it makes Kuhn’s book a home encyclopedia for drug use. However the way this novel is created also brings problems. In my opinion, this book is not meant be read all at once, and the reader is not supposed to absorb all the information in the book. It is designed to be picked up while searching for something specific (similar to an encyclopedia). Although Buzzed for the most part is easy to understand, there are parts where someone not familiar with biology could get confused with the language and terms. The novel’s factual way of getting out information can turn bland very fast on the reader, making it very hard to read the book for extended periods of time. Cynthia Kuhn and the contributing authors are more than qualified to produce such a read. Cynthia herself is a professor of pharmacology at Duke University, and leads the Pharmacological Sciences Training program there. Scott Swartzwelder is a professor of psychology at Duke University, and is a clinical professor of psychiatry. Wilkie Wilson is also a professor of pharmacology at Duke medical center, and served as a neurobiology program specialist. Contributing authors also included and international development officer, and international public relations leader. I agree with the author(s) that a strictly factual book about legal and illegal drugs is the best way to educate people, and give them the ability to make knowledgeable decisions in their life. My overall response to the book was that it accomplished exactly what it wanted to. I found it to be extremely informative, and at times interesting. I was particularly interested on the drugs that were most popular in my community, and on the subject of addiction (p274). Personally, it was satisfying to me to get what was right and wrong about the very popular drug, Marijuana (p142)b . Specifically, on how there are negative affects to the typically called harmless drug. However is used in moderation, it is harmless! The author used a very relatable situation to describe the various levels of addiction. She used a story of a man, and his visits to a bakery. Cynthia would compare addiction and story by how the man would change his day to get a donut at the bakery before work. The man would make increasingly drastic changes to the point where he would lose his job and apartment all for the bakery and donut! It was very intriguing and easy to imagine. I would recommend this book to others for very many reasons. I believe that educating the community in drug facts, not opinions, is very important. Buzzed does just that. Informing the community leads to knowledgeable decisions on drug laws. Such decisions would change the everyday life of a citizen, and could even help the economy. I think that it is very important that kids who are interested in drugs, professionals, parents, and politicians get educated in drug facts, and have a resource that they can go back to. Buzzed, by Cynthia Kuhn, left me with many impressions and thoughts about society and drug use. I now know that there are so many myths about so many drugs in my community, which are completely untrue. I now have a basis of complete and utter facts. Whenever I or a friend has a curiosity for a certain drug, I can obtain the information on it. I was also left with the impression that I missed an amount of content from the book because I am not familiar with biology. I feel that after this school year, I could better understand the concepts and terms used in the book. If I could give one piece of advice to a future reader of Buzzed, it would be to not read it all at once. First, read about the drugs that interest you. Overall, Cynthia Kuhn released a very unique book that could change the minds of many.