Addiction and recovery: A philosopher’s view

A colorful, abstract painting of a face with dark clouds overhead - Philosophy Professor Hanna Pickard suggests that no case of addiction is exactly like another-and understanding why someone chooses to continue using drugs despite the personal cost is vital to their recovery It's time for America to end its black-and-white thinking about addiction and recovery, according to Johns Hopkins professor Hanna Pickard. Traditional approaches in the U.S.-framing addiction as either a moral failing or a disease of the brain-do not suffice, she says. "Is addiction a brain disease? Cards on the table: I don't know," she admits. Regardless, she suggests, the danger of reducing addiction to only that explanation obscures other important factors-such as the psychological function and significance of drugs for those who struggle with addiction or the social and economic context of their drug use-and can also sometimes create a sense of helplessness and pessimism in patients themselves. Instead, Pickard, who has spent over a decade examining literature on addiction across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives to look for trends and provide analysis, now espouses the term "heterogeneity" in her research on drug addiction. No two cases of addiction are exactly alike, she says, and we should not expect one single explanation of addiction to apply universally. One virtue of this theoretical approach is that it better aligns with conventions of good clinical care-specifically tailored to each individual, respecting their own stances toward drug use and hopes for their future.