The One You Feed Carl Erik Fisher on The History of Addiction
Jul 15, 2022
Carl Erik Fisher, an addiction physician and bioethics scholar, dives deep into the complex history of addiction and what it means for recovery. He discusses the paradigm of disordered choice, the importance of psychological flexibility, and critiques simplistic drug classifications. Fisher highlights the power of beliefs in treatment through placebo effects and emphasizes the necessity of diverse recovery pathways. With insights on recovery capital, he advocates for a compassionate understanding of addiction's multifaceted nature, challenging societal stigmas along the way.
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Addiction as Disordered Choice
- Addiction is a form of disordered choice, where our ability to make good choices falters.
- This perspective acknowledges the internal conflict within individuals struggling with addiction.
Supporting Better Choices
- Provide support and structure to make tough choices more accessible for individuals with addiction.
- Consider contingency management, offering rewards for positive milestones, as a motivational tool.
Defining Addiction
- Defining addiction is complex; a 16th-century definition describes it as "voluntarily giving up choice."
- Addiction is a universal human experience, present in varying degrees, not a simple binary.
