I have been studying this topic for a while and I'd like to hear (read) your opinions. Do you think addiction is a disease? Do you think it is a disease of the brain? Do you think we should focus in the brain to treat addiction and think about human-drug interactions?
If you need to warm up I leave you some of the main articles on the topic:
1.- Alan Leshner (NIDA director at the time) first proclamation of the addiction as a brain disease model (ABDM)
Leshner, A. I. (1997). Addition is a Brain Disease, and it Matters. Science, 278(5335), 45–47. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.278.5335.45
2.- Nora Volkow (now NIDA director) defense of ABDM:
Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2016). Neurobiologic Advances from the Brain Disease Model of Addiction. The New England Journal of Medicine, 374(4), 363–71. http://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1511480
3.- Addiction is not a diesase:
Satel, S., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014). Addiction and the brain-disease fallacy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4(MAR), 1–11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00141
4.- Addiction is a 'social' disease:
Levy, N. (2013). Addiction is not a brain disease (and it matters). Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4(APR), 1–7. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00024
5.- There is not enough evidence to suport the ABDM and it promotes social injustice:
Hart, C. (2017). Viewing addiction as a brain disease promotes social injustice. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(February), 55. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0055
If you need to warm up I leave you some of the main articles on the topic:
1.- Alan Leshner (NIDA director at the time) first proclamation of the addiction as a brain disease model (ABDM)
Leshner, A. I. (1997). Addition is a Brain Disease, and it Matters. Science, 278(5335), 45–47. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.278.5335.45
2.- Nora Volkow (now NIDA director) defense of ABDM:
Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2016). Neurobiologic Advances from the Brain Disease Model of Addiction. The New England Journal of Medicine, 374(4), 363–71. http://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1511480
3.- Addiction is not a diesase:
Satel, S., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014). Addiction and the brain-disease fallacy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4(MAR), 1–11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00141
4.- Addiction is a 'social' disease:
Levy, N. (2013). Addiction is not a brain disease (and it matters). Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4(APR), 1–7. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00024
5.- There is not enough evidence to suport the ABDM and it promotes social injustice:
Hart, C. (2017). Viewing addiction as a brain disease promotes social injustice. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(February), 55. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0055