What makes addiction a disease?

I think we all know at this point that addiction is another major epidemic that is sweeping our country and the world, but there are few topics that are more misunderstood than addiction. In fact, some people question whether addiction is even truly a disease.

To delve into this question of why neuroscientists and health policy experts do think of addiction as a disease, I spoke to Keith Humphreys, the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, who is a leading expert on the addiction epidemic.

Humphreys chairs the Stanford Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis, and has served as Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy among other prominent policy roles.

Humphreys is also leader of the NeuroChoice Initiative, a project of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Initiative dedicated to understanding decision making — from brain circuits to individual choice to group tendencies — with a particular focus on the science of addiction and how neuroscience can contribute to addiction policy.

Links
Stanford Network on Addiction Policy
Stanford Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis
The NeuroChoice Initiative

Further Reading
Social aversion during opioid withdrawal reflects blocked serotonin cues, mouse study finds
Brain imaging links stimulant-use relapse to distinct nerve pathway
Stanford-Lancet report calls for sweeping reforms to mitigate opioid crisis

Episode Credits
This episode was produced by Michael Osborne, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker and Christian Haigis, and hosted by Nicholas Weiler. Cover art by Aimee Garza.

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Is Addiction a Disease? | Keith Humphreys