A recent article published in the New York Times examines our complex and shifting understanding of addiction. While the conception of addiction as a chronic brain disease may facilitate treatment, this concept may not fully consider the genetic, social, economic, and environmental factors that play an important role.
“For decades, medical science has classified addiction as a chronic brain disease, but the concept has always been something of a hard sell to a skeptical public. That is because, unlike diseases such as Alzheimer’s or bone cancer or Covid, personal choice does play a role, both in starting and ending drug use. The idea that those who use drugs are themselves at fault has recently been gaining fresh traction, driving efforts to toughen criminal penalties for drug possession and to cut funding for syringe-exchange programs.”
In this article, John Kelly, PhD ABPP, offers a definition of addiction, likening it to boarding a speeding train:“It starts off being an exhilarating ride, but at some point it gets out of control and becomes derailed. It’s a matter of when you can pull the emergency cord and get off.” Some drug users never get the chance to get off the train before it’s too late.
Read more HERE.
Read More
Rethinking Addiction as a Chronic Brain Disease (New York Times)
John Kelly, PhD ABPP is the Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at MGH and the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kelly is a former President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, a founding member and inaugural President of the American Board of Addiction Psychology, a Fellow of the APA, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and non-federal institutions, as well as foreign governments, the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Dr. Kelly has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters, and books in the field of addiction medicine, and was an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.
