Sally Satel

Drug addiction is a behavioral phenomenon, not a brain disease, Sally Satel argues in the following viewpoint. She contends that the idea that chemical dependency is involuntary ignores the fact that addicts are capable of self-control. According to Satel, the fact that addicts seek treatment and try to quit drugs when they recognize the negative consequences of drug use is proof that chemical dependency is a voluntary decision that can be overcome by behavioral therapies. Satel is a lecturer at the Yale University School of Medicine.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Satel’s view, why should politicians resist the “medicalized portrait” of drug addiction?
2. Which correlation claimed by brain disease advocates does Satel say has not been clearly demonstrated?
3. According to the author, how do cocaine and heroin addicts differ"

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