Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Myths and Facts
The fact is the there is little or no causal evidence to support the broad opinion that drugs (all or some) necessarily lead to addiction. Bruce Alexander's "The Myth of Drug-Induced Addiction" supports this claim by primarily focusing on heroin and cocaine.
He cites numerous studies and simply follows the logical arguments that either take one of two of the following claims:
Claim A: All or most people who use heroin or cocaine beyond a certain minimum amount become addicted.
Claim B: No matter what proportion of the users of heroin and cocaine become addicted, their addiction is caused by exposure to the drug.
He does a very good job to dispel these popular myths. It's worth the read.
Also, some readings: here, here (gateway myth), and here (meaning of addiction).
He cites numerous studies and simply follows the logical arguments that either take one of two of the following claims:
Claim A: All or most people who use heroin or cocaine beyond a certain minimum amount become addicted.
Claim B: No matter what proportion of the users of heroin and cocaine become addicted, their addiction is caused by exposure to the drug.
He does a very good job to dispel these popular myths. It's worth the read.
Also, some readings: here, here (gateway myth), and here (meaning of addiction).
