Addiction remains a topic riddled with bad science commentary and outdated beliefs, mainly because no one wants to talk about it. One of my favorite drug and addiction writers Dirk Hansen has tied his posts, those covered in his Addiction Inbox blog, together in an anthology — a fascinating and detailed one, about questions and [...]

In lieu of this month’s events in Connecticut and beyond, it’s my privilege to lend my platform to another voice, one who runs alongside the mission of this blog, and one of the smartest scientists and bravest people I know. Please read the post below, and for my view on violence, mental health and public [...]

A Princeton lab’s doing something interesting — trying to figure out where amphetamines collect in the brain, to really understand them, in a helpful sort of way that gets at the problem of addiction. Ethan Perlstein is using a crowdfunding model to raise money for his lab’s initiative, unconventional but necessary in a system that [...]

This post is part of a collaborative narrative series composed of my writing and Chris Arnade’s photos exploring issues of addiction, poverty and prostitution in Hunts Point, Bronx. For more on the series, look here. ———- A heroin addict steps over mirror shards in seek of the far side of the enclave, crooks his elbow, [...]

Every so often I’m briefly and viscerally aware of environmental “triggers,” cues to use a substance, and how difficult evading them must be for addicts. Alcohol, on billboards and shopping bags, commercials and taxi cabs, is everywhere, and avoiding it teems with impossibility. For the rest of us, it may be moderately comparable to running [...]

The idea of drugs tunneling their way through the brain, worms to the mind’s apple, is a frequent metaphor I hear. I wrote on the topic for Discovery’s Curiosity and resurfaced it to prepare material for drug education talks with high schoolers. Here’s a simple look back at the common question, which never fails to [...]

Chemistry is at the brunt of it all, isn’t it? Addiction, the sinuous, stealthy disease is controlled by neurochemicals. Simple as that. You’re an addict or you’re not. Sounds easy and breezy, doesn’t it? The trouble and truth is, it could take years to figure out if you’re an addict. The truth is, you may [...]