Chapter 1. Alcohol Use and Abuse in Everyday Life: The Centrality of Motivation -- Chapter 2. How People Decide What They Want, Including Having a Drink of Alcohol -- Chapter 3. Alcohol and its Effects on the Body -- Chapter 4. Genetics of Alcoholism -- Chapter 5. Personality and Alcohol Use -- Chapter 6. Sociocultural and Environmental Influences on Drinking Behavior -- Chapter 7. Why Drink Alcohol at All? Motives and Expectancies -- Chapter 8. Ways to Control Drinking: Changing the Motivational Nexus.

This book presents up-to-date scientific information about alcohol based on Cox and Klinger's motivational model, which has been described as, "the most widely known and influential motivational model of alcohol use" (Cooper et al., 2016, p. 5). The book, however, was written to be understandable to a broad sector of the population, allowing for an interdisciplinary readership. Those who would find this book beneficial include academics who need nontechnical explanations of why people drink, such as professionals and students in psychology, psychiatry, and related fields, and teachers of high school health classes and university courses in addiction. While not aimed as a self-help book, this book might offer insight as to why a person might not be able to control the urge to drink, or answer questions people may have concerning the effect of alcohol on the brain.