LAC LA BICHE - Timothy W. Parker, author of the book ‘Trapped by the High: What Addiction is and How it Changes the Brain’, will be coming to Lac La Biche on March 12 to make presentations about addiction.
The event, which will be held at McArthur Place at 2:30 p.m., is being put on by Lac La Biche Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and the Rotary Club of Lac La Biche.
Parker, who recently retired after 37 years as a professor of psychology at the Augustana Faculty of the University of Alberta, worked in biological psychology. In the last decade, he has researched addiction and the brain.
‘Trapped by the High’, he says, was written for a general audience on addiction.
“My goal has been to translate neuroscience into a narrative about addiction that readers can understand,” Parked told Lakeland This Week. “My readers tell me I have succeeded in this.”
Parker started writing ‘Trapped by the High’ after publishing his textbook, Foundations of Biological Psychology, in 2013. He explained that it took five to six years to research and write the book, which was self-published in 2023 following his retirement.
Parker said he wrote ‘Trapped by the High’ to try to correct many of the myths and misconceptions about addiction that are held by the general public.
“It will allow people to see how addiction is a trap in that individuals who take more doses are seeking to reach the same high they initially experienced, but they never will,” he explained.
The presentation on March 12, Parker says, will provide those who attend with an accessible and even “entertaining” account of what addiction is, and why it changes the brain to the point where recovering addicts often display cognitive impairments.
The event will also feature coffee, refreshments, and an opportunity to purchase books and ask questions. According to the author, copies of his book are $25.
Parker, who is a Rotarian himself, has recently given similar presentations in Camrose and Leduc.
“At every one people have said how much they learned and how valuable it was for them to attend,” he stated. “I’m also booked to present at other clubs in Edmonton, and I’m arranging presentations in Calgary and Canmore, among others.”
For more information about the presentation by Timothy W Parker or to register, please call 780-623-6361 or email [email protected].
