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Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari | TED

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  • Recommended by 5 people, in Hacker News, across 4 different months.
  • Presented by Johann Hari, as the video describes them
  • Debated among experts. Its central claim is contested, so look for the other side.

For anyone, no background needed. Education, not medical advice.

13M views11 years ago5 recommendations

Mental healthBrain and nervesAddictionDepression and anxiety

Johann Hari argues that addiction is primarily driven by a lack of human connection and social bonding rather than chemical hooks.

Visit TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. Follow TED on Twitter: twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/TED TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-…). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at media-requests.ted.com

Why it's here

5 people recommend this

What people say. Highly recommended as a thought-provoking perspective on the social causes of addiction and the importance of connection in recovery.

DisposableMoiin Hacker News • Recommends

On “Ohio Sues 5 Major Drug Companies For 'Fueling Opioid Epidemic'”

I'm going to chip in here as I feel I'm qualified to do so as a recovering hard drug addict (clean almost a year). Addiction like most human conditions is complex, to debate this article it helps to have a clearer understanding of what causes addiction. I'm going to state my beliefs as truth, they are after all my truth. Addiction comes in many shapes, substance misuse, alcoholism, food addiction, porn addiction, consumerism and gambling to name some. They are not caused by the substance (or object etc) per se, i will paraphrase from a talk i will link to, if your grandma breaks her hip and is given medical quality opiates to relive her pain, she doesn't suddenly become a junkie. Addiction i…
View on Hacker News

doubleshamein Hacker News • Recommends

On “'Body Brokers' Get Kickbacks to Lure People with Addictions to Bad Rehab”

This is my favourite addiction talk. Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari link to this video
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dkerstenin Hacker News • Recommends

On “Once an Addict, Always an Addict?”

Reminds me of this TED talk: link to this video "Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong" , where he asserts that addiction isn't caused by the things we typically correlate with it. I was going to try to summarize, but I don't think I can do it justice. Its not long. > I think people drink and drug for a reason. We just mostly don't bother to try to figure out what the reason is for this specific person Absolutely. This is totally in line with what that guy says in the video too. One thing he says: "The opposite of addiction is connection." I know that personally, when I have problems that I struggle with and don't feel like anyone in my life can help me with or talk to about them (sadl…
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jbuhbjlnjbnin Hacker News • Recommends

On “Why Everything We Thought About Drugs Was Wrong”

There are much more plausible explanations, like the one Johann Hari gives: link to this video or in plenty more detail, in his book on the topic.
View on Hacker News

andrei_says_in Hacker News • Recommends

On “Gabon longs to cash in on sacred hallucinogenic remedy”

If you are open to questioning the “junkies” and their “choice to be so” stereotype, you may find this TED talk useful. link to this video Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari
View on Hacker News

u/herduleikmudkipzClinician communityin r/publichealth • Mentions

TED Talks- Outstanding new approach to treating addiction
19View on Reddit

Consultant32452in Hacker News • Mentions

On “Anthropic Capitalism and the New Gimmick Economy (2016)”

Not just racial disparities. Women make up slightly more than half the population. Even if we just limit our scope to white men, I don't see much argument for the idea that white men have it nominally worse off today than they had it 50-80 years ago. I only see that they are not as far ahead of women and racial minorities as they were 50-80 years ago. And 70 years ago was the end of WWII. I assume it was an accident to include that in your range. Regarding the explosion of "disease of dispair", suicide, drug use, etc. I do acknowledge that but I don't see how it's related to the OP. The OP appeared to be talking about relative wealth as being socially disruptive. Let's run a thought experime…
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balancemayvaryin Hacker News • Mentions

On “Show HN: I built an app to create repeatable checklists to help with ADHD”

…t 1) Inform yourself, don't take your uncle's word on it. 2) I implore that you reconsider spreading the harmful idea that ADHD pills are bad, which can only make us ALL worse off. Separate, but just as important: Drug User stigma is also terrible. The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is Connection. Healthy Bonds. ( link to this video ) Written with sincerity, and frankly, tears in my eyes. It's a topic I've got a lifetime of experience with, an…
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