My voice loses some of its edge. “I really don’t think you’re in control when you’re that way,” I say. “I don’t believe you’re doing it deliberately.” Claire lifts her eyes to look straight at me. “Of course not,” she says quietly. “But what you do deliberately is that you use cocaine.” “Because I’m addicted to it.” “That’s a choice you’re making,” I reply. Even as the words leave my lips, I know I’m mouthing a platitude. From a certain point of view, everything we do is a choice. From a scientific perspective, though, Claire is closer to the mark. Her explanation that she is addicted—and that
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