Recently I posted a quote from John Hari on addiction. See it here. I’ve also updated the post to include the video below as well. What is detailed in this TED talk is idea that we should punish and isolate addicts from society. This idea, according to Hari is about 100 years old and also, more importantly completely wrong.
The methodology we base the current “War on Drugs” and how we treat people who are addicted is based on poor experimental design. When we control for environmental factors – addiction mostly disappears.
This TED talk was too important to bury in an update of an old blog post. So please enjoy John Hari and his important ideas on addiction.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
5 comments
July 20, 2015 at 10:00 am
Arkenaten
Absolutely amazing.
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July 20, 2015 at 4:54 pm
VR Kaine
I think this is really cool. Are TED Talks becoming part of standard curriculum yet in schools?
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July 21, 2015 at 10:23 am
Sedate Me
I have pretty similar opinions on the nature of addiction. I especially agree with what he said between the 10.5 to 12.5 minute marks; the stuff about technology & consumerism etc. These are perfectly legal (and socially encouraged) addictions that are quietly causing far more net damage than any drug. One could easily argue they’re a significant contributing factor in narcotic addictions.
However, I must object to the title upon the grounds of…defending the English language. (and me being a pedantic asshole)
Addiction is defined as the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Clearly, “connection” is closer to being a synonym to addiction (although a much healthier version) than it is to being an opposite, or antonym. Antonyms to addiction include words like “indifference”, “dislike”, or even “hatred”. Given the argument in the speech, it’s ironically funny that antonyms to “addiction” characterize the failed approach to addiction that society has adopted.
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July 22, 2015 at 8:24 am
The Arbourist
@Vern
Nope. But they would be a good inclusion, at least the ones that are accurate, to specific curricular objectives that are covered. :)
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July 22, 2015 at 8:40 am
The Arbourist
@Sedate Me
One of those are you? :) Anyhow, it is fascinating the relationships that are drawn when it comes to stigmatized topics such as addiction. Us humans are all too often tend to think in binaries, which, surprisingly(?), doesn’t help when overlaid with real world situations.
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