I’m using this blog post to advertise Part 2 of our salon series. If you were with us last month, then you know what to expect. A short presentation — 20 minutes tops — then much discussion. The discussion that emerged during Part 1 took off from a perspective Shaun and I share: that it makes little sense to view addiction as a brain disease, even if brain change is part of the picture. The talk was free-flowing and far-ranging, stretching from personal narratives of our own or our kids’ drug use to the successes and failures we’ve encountered in addiction treatment and drug policy. And the participants (25 or so last time)  included ordinary people caught off-guard by addiction as well as world leaders in drug policy reform (e.g., harm reduction) and treatment research and practice (e.g., motivational interviewing, Internal Family Systems, ACT).

Understanding Addiction — Part Two:

 Learning Addiction

But whether you were there or not, you won’t have a hard time catching up and catching on. If you’re reading these words, you’ve got the background needed  to listen, learn, and contribute effectively.  I’ll outline a summary version of my model of addiction as a learned habit, reinforced through repetition and shaped by developmental as well as environmental forces. Shaun will provide us with lived examples of people and groups adapting to social and economic challenges through drug use in South Africa.

So please join us for today’s (or this evening’s) salon, today being 21 March, at 1pm Eastern (daylight savings) time — local times shown on the salon webpage. The $10 fee for attending can easily be dropped if finances are a burden. Just make a direct request when you register. Either way, you must register — in advance — as in right now! That way we’ll know whom to expect so we can be ready.

Hope to see you a few hours from now!

Marc Lewis & Shaun Shelly