“Chasing the Scream” – Changing the Understanding of Addiction

The War on Drugs; four buzz words that emerged in the 80s prompting the "Drug-Free America" campaign and the "D.A.R.E" program.  Students are taught from a very young age that drugs hook you instantly, and send you on a downward-spiral of danger and shame with no way out... so "Just Say No."

Author Johann Hari spent three-and-a-half years investigating the causes of addiction, and his findings are surprising.  His new book, "Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of The War On Drugs" sheds new light on the subject and forces readers to see addiction and treatment from an entirely different perspective, not just what was fed to us by the propaganda machine from 30-years-ago that still seems to permeate our collective modern psyche.  I know this article is lengthy, but it's an excellent read for anyone who's ever dealt with addiction.