Dr Fish expands the current notion of addiction
through an approach that is inclusive of the social,
cultural, historical, as well as ecopsychological
perspective. With this in mind, the overwhelming
prevalence of addiction in the West is, she tells
us, an indication that the addict is our cultural
canary-in-the-coal-mine warning us that something is
undoubtedly amiss in Western society. The author
therefore challenges the current notion of addiction
as an individual biological or psychological disease
and concludes that it has become an inherent
cultural condition of Western society. Dr. Fish
explains that this development is the product of a
course of events in Western history that includes
the Scientific Revolution, the Protestant
Reformation, the rise of Capitalism, and most
especially the Industrial Revolution. During this
process an entirely new way of living arose, that
separated people from the natural world, from each
other and from a healthy relationship with
intoxication and desire.