Marc Lewis's Blog, page 12

Response to the heroin epidemic: 2. Addiction, access, and the problem of opioid substitution

…by Percy Menzies… I met Percy, a treatment provider and policy person, in Minnesota about six months ago. We have had some spirited discussions since then. In his view, the culprit in the opiate crisis is access — drug availability — a position that’s put him in direct opposition to Johann Hari and others who […] (Read the rest.)

Strong support for opiate substitution treatment…and fixing the bigger picture

…by Shaun Shelly… I just pulled into a lodge in Banff, Canada at 2 AM (roughly noon for me) after a flight delay and missed shuttle. I’m way too tired to introduce this intelligently. All I can say is that I have huge respect for Shaun’s understanding of what goes on in opiate addiction, both […] (Read the rest.)

Response to the heroin epidemic: 1. Methadone and harm reduction

The heroin “epidemic” is a major concern all over the world right now. What are the various philosophies for dealing with it? In today’s post I’ll share some impressions from my recent visit to a harm reduction/methadone clinic in Belgium. Then I’ll post a piece by Percy Menzes who is dedicated to the use of […] (Read the rest.)

Why do humans like to get drunk?

Here’s an article I wrote for The Guardian a few weeks ago. This link will take you right there. And while you’re there, check out some of its neighbours in The Guardian’s Autocomplete series. These articles try to provide quick, neat answers to the deep questions we often pose to Google. Or, in their words: […] (Read the rest.)

Personality pathways to addiction

Three posts ago, I discussed the personality traits that make us most vulnerable to addiction. And I promised to say more about them. Most experts agree that the two biggees are…. (1) an impulsive or risk-taking personality style (2) an anxious, oversensitive personality style Note once again that there is nothing like a standard “addictive […] (Read the rest.)

Why can’t the disease and learning models just get along?!

Will a developmental-learning model of addiction (e.g., Maia Szalavitz, Gabor Maté , Stanton Peele, and me) ever make peace with the disease model? That would be a happy ending! Nora Volkow and I could eat muffins together…or maybe have a glass of wine. We could establish a space for sharing data and ideas, working together […] (Read the rest.)

The disease model of addiction…Not again?!

It’s been a while since my last post. I did some relaxing, hung out with my kids, but mostly I spent my time writing a long, dense article summarizing my book — an invited article for a journal. I found myself back in the ring, fighting the Disease Model of Addiction… Round 17. Is this […] (Read the rest.)

Is addiction heritable? Separating fact from fiction

Hi all. I haven’t written anything since New Year’s, and I guess it’s time to crank up the blog machine. I can see that we have a lot of new readers. I want to welcome you newcomers as well as ye olde and faithful — I hope there’s something here for you and I hope […] (Read the rest.)

New year’s greetings

Hello my lovelys! I’ve been thinking of you. Actually I thought of you mostly last night, New Year’s Eve, when my own addictive tendencies and my self-concept as someone who can drink alcohol safely (and socially) growled at each other for a little while. I feel grateful that I’m no longer at the cliff edge […] (Read the rest.)

Triggers and Tethers

…by Matt Robert… This will be our last post of the season. Not only is it smart and sensitive but it’s also warm hearted and optimistic. An ideal note to end on — until January. In the meantime, I wish you all an incredibly happy or at least reasonably happy holiday, however you define “holiday” […] (Read the rest.)