Is Addiction a Disease? | Keith Humphreys

What makes addiction a disease? I think we all know at this point that addiction is another major epidemic that is sweeping our country and the world, but there are few topics that are more misunderstood than addiction. In fact, some people question whether addiction is even truly a disease. To  delve into this question of why neuroscientists and health policy experts do think of addiction as a disease, I spoke to  Keith Humphreys, the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, who is a leading expert on the addiction epidemic. Humphreys chairs the Stanford Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis, and has served as Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy among other prominent policy roles. Humphreys is also  leader of the NeuroChoice Initiative, a project of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Initiative dedicated to understanding decision making — from brain circuits to individual choice to group tendencies — with a particular focus on the science of addiction and how neuroscience can contribute to addiction policy.LinksStanford Network on Addiction PolicyStanford Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid CrisisThe NeuroChoice InitiativeFurther ReadingSocial aversion during opioid withdrawal reflects blocked serotonin cues, mouse study findsBrain imaging links stimulant-use relapse to distinct nerve pathwayStanford-Lancet report calls for sweeping reforms to mitigate opioid crisisEpisode CreditsThis episode was produced by Michael Osborne, with production assistance by Morgan Honaker and Christian Haigis, and hosted by Nicholas Weiler. Cover art by Aimee Garza.Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience.We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.