This book is a nice complement to David Sheff's CLEAN (published the same year), which showed how drug abuse often arises from undiagnosed mental illness. HIGH PRICE explores the social causes of addiction. Drawing vivid examples from his his own rough childood, Hart argues that a lack of social supports -- strong families, good education, secure employment -- is what leaves some users (especially poor ones) vulnerable to the lure of drugs. Both authors call for kinder, more evidence-based approaches to curbing use. HIGH PRICE mixes science and autobiography, but does so awkwardly, with a clinical approach that resembles a classroom lecture more than a memoir.