The Urge

Grappling with betrayal and loss, Titus seeks solace from the Stoic sage Epictetus. But when Stoic teachings fail to ease his pain, a mysterious philosopher named Magnus enters the scene. Magnus takes his new pupil on a journey that challenges conventional wisdom, introducing Titus to an inexplicable force known as the Urge. Amidst a tumultuous battle between reason and rage, Titus unexpectedly falls in love with Thalassa, a water nymph who claims to hold the key to his destiny. This unexpected romance further complicates his path. 'The Urge: Fall of a Stoic' invites readers on a thought-provoking adventure woven with myth, philosophy, and historical elements, delving into the depths of human desire.

Grappling with betrayal and loss, Titus seeks solace from the Stoic sage Epictetus. But when Stoic teachings fail to ease his pain, a mysterious philosopher named Magnus enters the scene. Magnus takes his new pupil on a journey that challenges conventional wisdom, introducing Titus to an inexplicable force known as the Urge. Amidst a tumultuous battle between reason and rage, Titus unexpectedly falls in love with Thalassa, a water nymph who claims to hold the key to his destiny. This unexpected romance further complicates his path. 'The Urge: Fall of a Stoic' invites readers on a thought-provoking adventure woven with myth, philosophy, and historical elements, delving into the depths of human desire.

As a psychiatrist in training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher found himself face-to-face with an addiction crisis that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of his condition, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that our society's current quagmire is only part of a centuries-old struggle to treat addictive behavior. A rich, sweeping account that probes not only medicine and science but also literature, religion, philosophy, and public policy, The Urge introduces us to those who have endeavored to address addiction through the ages and examines the treatments that have produced relief for many people, the author included. Only by reckoning with our history of addiction, Fisher argues, can we light the way forward for those whose lives remain threatened by its hold. The Urge is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician's urgent call for a more nuanced and compassionate view of one of society's most intractable challenges.

As a psychiatrist in training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher found himself face-to-face with an addiction crisis that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of his condition, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that our society's current quagmire is only part of a centuries-old struggle to treat addictive behavior. A rich, sweeping account that probes not only medicine and science but also literature, religion, philosophy, and public policy, The Urge introduces us to those who have endeavored to address addiction through the ages and examines the treatments that have produced relief for many people, the author included. Only by reckoning with our history of addiction, Fisher argues, can we light the way forward for those whose lives remain threatened by its hold. The Urge is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician's urgent call for a more nuanced and compassionate view of one of society's most intractable challenges.