What If We Are Wrong About Addiction?

After wrestling in his attempts to support close friends and relatives who were struggling with addiction, TED speaker Johann Hari embarked on a journey to understand many of his basic questions about addiction. What he found runs counter to everything we’ve been doing for a century.

Source: Amen Clinics Photos// Flickr

In this 15 minute TED Talk from June 2015, Hari provides anecdotes and cites solid research that challenges many conventional views about causes of and responses to addiction.

One question Hari highlights from research with rats:

“What if addiction is not about your chemical hooks, but is about your “cage” (a.k.a. environment)?”

Not sure what that means? Take a look! This concept may be a total game changer…

“The opposite of addiction is connection.”

This seems so obvious now that I put this through my own observations. What about your own experiences?

With this new window of possibility, it should be exciting to see where this leads over the next few years.

Ever Widening Circles would love to hear from you if you have some insight to add to this!

I’m a new EWC guest writer, Neal Smith.

Have a great day!