Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari | TED
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters quote it for the line that the opposite of addiction is connection, and recommend it as a more plausible account of addiction than the standard model.
What it is
Johann Hari's TED talk arguing that addiction is driven largely by disconnection and environment rather than chemical hooks alone. He draws on his personal experience with addicted relatives and on research and policy examples from around the world.
Recommended by 5 HN commenters across 4 different months, 2017 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec doubleshame · 2017-08 · 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 [this video]
Recommends DisposableMoi · 2017-06 · 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
Recommends dkersten · 2021-08 · on “Once an Addict, Always an Addict?”
Reminds me of this TED talk: [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
Recommends jbuhbjlnjbn · 2021-08 · on “Why Everything We Thought About Drugs Was Wrong”
There are much more plausible explanations, like the one Johann Hari gives: [this video] or in plenty more detail, in his book on the topic.
Recommends andrei_says_ · 2025-06 · 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. [this video] Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari
Cites Consultant32452 · 2019-03 · 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
Cites balancemayvary · 2021-07 · on “Show HN: I built an app to create repeatable checklists to help with ADHD”
I had a teenage diagnosis. I went off it because of the same drunken-misinformation and stigma. 5 year dark age. Went back on it, I was suddenly MUCH more able to build the SLEEP, DIET, EXERCISE loop I need. Going back on my meds, after educating myself properly about them, was one of the best decisions of my life. ADHD prescriptions are the first line of defense. This is simply a fact of medical science. Executive Function disparity is the result of a chemical imbalance. Receptors for dopamine and Norepinephrine in the ADHD brain are oversized, which ADHD medications correct. [LINK] I was spreading misinformation about the "drugs", when truly they are the proper accommodation and treatment.