A Sober Look At The Lohan Situation – Part 1

I realize that at first glance, this may appear to contradict much of what I say on this blog, but if you bear with me you’ll see that it doesn’t:  Lindsay Lohan is a victim.  Now I don’t think she’s a victim of the disease of addiction, and I’m not saying that her choices aren’t… Continue reading A Sober Look At The Lohan Situation – Part 1

Neuroskeptic: The Acting Brain!

Sometimes I feel alone when I look at the “case” for the brain disease model of addiction and cry “bullshit!”. Can anyone else see how ridiculous this is? Does anyone realize they’re just showing us a very normal phenomenon? Does anyone else see these brain scans and say “so what?”. Yes, yes they do. While… Continue reading Neuroskeptic: The Acting Brain!

Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t work for everyone – and that’s OK

In a recent issue of the Los Angeles Times, Amy Lee Coy told her story of struggling in AA for TWENTY YEARS before finally quitting drinking for good by leaving the program, casting aside the disease concept & addict label, and taking control of her life.  Miss Coy’s story is a great example of both… Continue reading Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t work for everyone – and that’s OK

A Libertarian View On Drugs and Addiction

There’s a great article discussing everything from the drug war & legalization to the brain disease model of addiction on the Mises Institute site.  Here’s an excerpt, check it out: When people take drugs, their brain functioning changes. When they have sex, cuddle their toddler, or eat chocolate, similar changes occur in the same brain… Continue reading A Libertarian View On Drugs and Addiction

A New Hero for Addicts: Wendy Williams

A few years ago I was talking to a friend about my views on addiction, and won him over to my side.  Eventually, he told me about an experience he once had reading a book by the popular talk show host Wendy Williams.  In the book, she talks about how she was abusing cocaine, and… Continue reading A New Hero for Addicts: Wendy Williams

Tax dollars thrown away on pointless animal experiments

I don’t often find myself siding with PETA, but they bring up an important point: “it is especially egregious that experimenters are trying to use animals to model addiction, which is in large part caused by social, psychological and even economic factors. Studies on animals can’t resolve these issues.” Read more here: Tax dollars thrown… Continue reading Tax dollars thrown away on pointless animal experiments

Addiction: A Disorder of Choice

There’s a great interview with Gene Heyman, the author of Addiction: A Disorder of Choice available on NPR follow this link to listen to it, and learn about Heyman’s extremely important work: http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/08/is-addiction-a-matter-of-choice Another guest on the show, Hazelden’s Marvin Seppala, went on and on about research done on rats, a practice which I found… Continue reading Addiction: A Disorder of Choice

Critique of Drugs, Brains, and Behavior or, How The NIDA Is Wasting Our Time And Money to Spread Harmful Lies

A reader who disagrees with my views recently posted a link and told me it was “required reading”.  The link goes to a page titled “Drugs and the Brain” from the NIDA pamphlet (National Institute on Drug Abuse & Addiction) titled “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior – The Science of Addiction”.  What follows is my critique… Continue reading Critique of Drugs, Brains, and Behavior or, How The NIDA Is Wasting Our Time And Money to Spread Harmful Lies