In this episode of the Integral Health Resources Podcast, I reflect on various views of addiction, specifically focusing on a recent article by Johann Hari, who has a new book out called Chasing the Scream:The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Topics include:
- Various ways of understanding the concept of “addiction”
- Johann Hari’s new book, Chasing the Scream
- The “Rat Park” studies of Bruce Alexander
Summary:
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The most commonly held views of addiction in American society (e.g., the 12-step model and the NIMH’s “chronic relapsing brain disease” model) do not stand up to critical scrutiny, scientific evidence, or common sense, yet they continue to hold sway. Alternative (and, in my opinion, superior) perspectives have been put forth and deserve careful consideration.
Here are some other media resources that may be helpful/relevant to this discussion:
- Article – “The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think”
- Article – “A War Well Lost: Sam Harris and Johann Hari discuss the war on drugs”
- Blog Post – “Understanding Addiction”
- Blog Post – “Misunderstanding addiction: The beat goes on”
- Blog Post – “Addictionally Irrational”
- Blog Post – “Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders in the DSM-5”
