(New York Times) – Some researchers argue that the roles of social environment and personal choice have to be considered in order to make progress in treating people addicted to drugs.

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.

But now, even some in the treatment and scientific communities have been rethinking the label of chronic brain disease. (Read More)