Harvard Psychologist Denies Disease Theory of Addiction

Addiction is not a disease but rather a behavior that can be controlled, according to a Harvard psychologist who points to the fact that some addicts can voluntarily quit using to support his hypothesis.

The Toronto Star reported May 16 that Gene M. Heyman, author of the new book, Addiction: A Disorder of Choice, writes that the public has been deceived by addiction experts. He agrees that individuals can be genetically predisposed to addiction, and that changes occur in the brains of addicts, but contends that the decision to use or quit remains voluntary.

Heyman disputes the notion that addiction is a lifelong illness, saying that the research underpinning this theory is skewed by the fact that studies tend to look at people who have sought treatment, not those who quit on their own and never use again.

People do not choose to become addicts, Heyman agrees, but while most addiction experts point to changes in the brain as the underlying reason for relapse, Heyman sees the issue as primarily one of self-control.

Heyman’s take on addiction doesn’t sit well with many experts in the field, who note that many addicts can’t change their behavior despite devastating personal consequences, such as loss of health, family, and job.

“Where (Heyman) loses the argument is that there are clearly both biological and environmental or contextual factors involved, but he’s basically saying that the context and the environment are everything and the biology is irrelevant,” said Tony George, head of addiction psychiatry at the University of Toronto. “Well, what we know about the brain, and the brain on drugs, is startling.”