The hysteria and myths about alcohol, other drugs, and addiction runs deep in American culture – and I believe it is causing us to have more problems with alcohol and other drugs. The more people learn the truth, the more we can create a cultural shift that decreases these problems. The following is my study… Continue reading Essential Reading List for the Truth about Addiction, Alcohol, and other Drugs
Tag: Stanton Peele
Stanton Peele pens new paper on free will and addiction
The key issue in addiction is free will. There’s no way around this. The entire notion of addiction rests on the assertion that the “addict” lacks free will in some way (either solely in regard to substance use – losing free will over substances after freely choosing a single dose, or else when faced with some… Continue reading Stanton Peele pens new paper on free will and addiction
NPR accidentally reveals the disgusting truth about the disease model of addiction
“But then, the more I think about it [getting off the drugs], it scares the hell out of me,” he says. “I’m scared of going backward. I honestly don’t know what would happen.”
That’s a fear voiced by many of the growing number of Americans who have come to see their addiction as a chronic disease, a condition they may have to live with — and need treatment for — for many years.
Colin Farrell and Madchild Mature Out of Addiction – Research Shows This Is More Common Than You May Think
I was reading two profiles of men in their mid-thirties who recently changed their problematic substance use habits, rapper Madchild, and actor Colin Farrell, and of course it reminded of the theory my friend Stanton Peele is so fond of – that people generally mature out of addiction, i.e. they grow up and change their… Continue reading Colin Farrell and Madchild Mature Out of Addiction – Research Shows This Is More Common Than You May Think
Can a Self Help Book Work To End Addiction?
Do self help books really work? Can self help books really work for addiction and “recovery”? Research on so-called “bibliotherapy” shows that self-help books can be quite effective, even for problems such as addiction and depression, which we’re told can only be overcome with medical treatment.
Stanton Peele’s Latest Discussion of Genes and Addiction
The whole genetic component to addiction and the outrageous claims of an addiction gene can be confusing. I must admit I’ve had trouble analyzing this topic because there is so much conflicting information. I do know that the most widely publicized information, Blum and Noble’s claims of an addiction gene, was front page news when… Continue reading Stanton Peele’s Latest Discussion of Genes and Addiction