The Addiction Psychologist Dr. Hanna Pickard - What would you do alone in a cage with nothing but cocaine?
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Jan 6, 2026 
Dr. Hanna Pickard, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and addiction expert, dives deep into the complex nature of addiction. She challenges the conventional view of addiction as a mere brain disease, emphasizing the role of social factors and personal values. Through her book's provocative title, she explores how isolation influences drug use. Pickard elucidates the reasons behind continued use despite severe consequences, discussing concepts like self-medication and identity, and advocates for a multidimensional approach to understanding addiction.
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Environment Shapes Drug Use
- The iconic rat experiment misleads because rats were alone with only cocaine; environment drove lethal use.
- Adding social and alternative rewards shows context, not drug power, often explains heavy use.
What Drugs Do For People
- Drugs often serve functions: self-medication, attachment, identity, or even nonviolent self-harm.
- Recognizing those functions reveals varied explanations and tailored interventions.
Denial As A Human Defense
- Denial and motivated self-deception explain continued use when costs are evident to outsiders.
- These are common human defenses and not unique pathologies in people with addiction.
