Most of what we know about addiction is wrong. It isn't chemical hooks or a weak mind. Our survival depends on our ability to do the things that eventually lead to addiction when they get out of control. We become sensitized to things we find exciting or dangerous – things that we need to notice right away to avoid injury – and we become tolerant to things we find comforting and safe  – things that we want to do again. It isn't just drugs. It's relationships, jobs, religious organizations, chores, foods, sleep patterns., partnerships: in a word, life.

Addiction is a Learning Disorder. Maia Szalavitz joins me to talk about tolerance, sensitization, addiction, dependency, autism, predictors of addiction, trauma, The Joy of the Hunt (cocaine) versus The Joy of the Feast (heroin), mainlining drugs, recovery, Jerry Garcia, 2.5 kilograms of blow, and harm reduction 

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