There are many causes of the drug addiction myth, but one of the most important is Alcoholics Anonymous and other “12 Step” programs.  These programs require that the participant believe that addiction exists and that they are in fact a drug addict, in order to participate in the program.  The first step of the program is:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Continue reading How 12 step programs promote the addiction myth →

20 years from now all drugs will be legal, and people will look back on the drug war and say, “What were we thinking??!!”.There will not be addiction or even widespread drug abuse.  People will be aware of the effects of drugs (good and bad) and will use them responsibly.  Some people will use drugs to excess, learn their lesson, and then stop (much like the great majority of us already do today).  The myth of drug addiction will be remembered as one of the many silly obsessions of the past that resulted in unnecessary and widespread oppression, destruction and death.
Continue reading Legalization and the end of the drug war →

Much of the modern medical conception of addiction is based on animal studies performed during the 1960s and 70s.  In the experiments, a needle was placed into the leg of a caged rat.  The intravenous apparatus was connected to a lever in the cage that administered a drug, generally either cocaine or heroin.  The rats soon learned that by pressing the button they would get a dose of the drug, and the rats were soon ‘addicted’.  They pressed the button continually, ignoring food sources, sometimes until death.  When the drug was withdrawn, the rats would go through characteristic withdrawal symptoms – anxiety, jumpiness, sleeplessness, etc.
Continue reading Rat addicts and the science of addiction →