The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living: How to Survive Your Bad Habits

By David J. Clayton and Laura Vanderkam

Book Overview

STRAIGHT TALK FROM A DOCTOR ON HOW TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE FROM THE UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES WE ALL KNOW WE SHOULDN'T MAKE -- BUT DO ANYWAY There are thousands of books out there on how to live a healthy life, but let's be honest: most of us don't want to live a healthy life -- we want to know how to live our unhealthy lives better. The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living is a straightforward and honest guide to maintaining the fast-paced lifestyle you're accustomed to, without giving up all the bad habits that come along with it. Whether you stayed up all night prepping for that early presentation or want to lose ten pounds fast for a high school reunion, whether you drank too much last night or wound up in an unfamiliar bed this morning, here's the practical advice you need for minimizing the damage and moving on with your life. A few of the issues addressed in this book include: Drinking and drugs: From easing the hangover pain to kicking a drug habit Sex: Pregnancy, STDs, and why you shouldn't believe everything you read on the Internet Pushing the limits: Sleepless nights, stress, and unavoidable life-related anxieties Everyday habits: Smoking, fast food, all-nighters, and the rest of those New Year's resolutions you haven't gotten around to yet Whether you indulge yourself in Vegas or your own backyard, when it comes to your health, it's easy to assume the worst. But even if you don't live a completely virtuous life, The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living says that if you make some smart choices, you can avoid major worries or embarrassment. While this book won't take the place of your own doctor, it will give you some shortcuts to healthier habits and better living -- like safer sex and better sex, or a healthier diet and a better body -- that might become habits you can live with.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743272145
• ISBN13: 9780743272148
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Like having a doctor friend

This book is great. It answered a lot of questions for me like, "can you really take Tylenol if you drank the night before ?", "how many ibuprofin can I take a day ?", "are cigars as bad as cigarettes", "how do I really lose weight", etc. It really explains the effects of smoking, drinking, etc. without all the political correctness that you sometimes get (because the drug companies are so afraid of being sued, and our government has become politically correct with its information, especially with respect to alcohol, they often provide extremely conservative information on their drugs, which in effect is not very helpful, because it is so inexact and thus is not good informtion). But this book provides just the straight facts, based on the personal experiences and knowledge of a medical doctor. I highly recommend it to almost anyone (unless you are living on an Amish farm with no access to all the "evils" of modern living).

Straight talk for young people

Geared primarily to twenty-somethings, Clayton explains what you should do - don't smoke, one drink a day, get enough sleep - then tells how to mitigate the effects of what you're actually going to do. This 30-something New Yorker is hip and non-judgmental but he doesn't sugarcoat a thing. His description of what happens to various body parts - heart, brain, lungs - from smoking cigarettes is so graphic, it should spawn quitters throughout the club scene. But most young readers will skip the informative lecture and go right to the part where he says most people can smoke risk-free if they quit by age 30. Well, heck, 30 is a LONG ways off. Clayton is equally graphic in explaining the physiology and psychology of sexual arousal. This chapter, "Improving Sexual Performance: His and Hers" would be enough all on its own to make this book a dorm favorite. And then it moves seamlessly on to avoiding pregnancy and STDs, answering all the questions that most young people are afraid to ask their doctors. Clayton investigates the myths and rumors, describes symptoms, diagnoses and treatments, calms fears and promotes practicality, creating confidence through knowledge. And then it's on to drugs where Clayton is equally matter-of-fact, advising on the safest way to ingest, if you absolutely will, various substances from marijuana to E, prescription drugs, and cocaine, but also describing what each to the body, on the spot and over time. Clayton, and his co-writer, Vanderkam, employ a sense of humor and an understanding of human nature throughout. Whether it's the stress generated by burning the candle at both ends, or navigating that overdue visit to the doctor, Clayton offers advice busy, in-the-moment people are most likely to take. From hangover cures to beating the drug test at work, from dieting to avoiding impotence, Clayton dispels rumors and cuts to core of the problem. This is a book I wish had been around when I was twenty. --Portsmouth Herald

A "must have"

Finally a book that reveals the truth behind all those myths. As someone who loves to push the limits, this book has helped me find ways to moderate my habits in a realistic and healthy way. It is honest and dispels some of those hypochondriac moments. We should all have a copy of this book - it's a "must have"

Accurate and humorous-Worth buying

Being trained in Internal Medicine, I've had many of the same conversations with my patients that are described here. However, I envy Dr. Clayton in his ability to approach the same topics with a witty sense of humor. Bravo to Clayton for keeping to the facts and not talking down to readers in this book. I'm buying multiple copies of this book for my friends, all young thirty-somethings in NYC burning both ends of the candle!

Excellent, useful advice

As a young adult who frequently indulges in weekend drinking and other bad habits, I have constantly suffered many of the issues/worries that Dr. Clayton mentions. He dispels myths and gives many different alternatives to treat a problem. With the internet, it is very difficult to find unbiased information on supplements/cures for, say, hangovers, stress or weight loss. Most of the time they are trying to sell something based on unfounded evidence. The number of scams out there is astronomical. It was about time to get the facts straight from a real doctor.