A final conversation with addiction professionals*

Abstract

Abstract This ‘think piece’ summarizes the final conclusions of an alarmed addiction researcher and theorist who, at the end of his professional life, sees an urgent need for change in both the research paradigm and the social role of addiction professionals. Not only can our profession help addicted individuals more effectively, we can also help to extricate society from its current polarized, embittered, and precarious state. The five key points of the article are: (1) addiction theory is currently bogged down and stuck, (2) We are stuck partly because of the ineradicable remnants of the Myth of the Demon Drug that has haunted our field of study from its beginnings, (3) A radical paradigm shift to an ‘adaptive’ paradigm can re-vitalize our work, (4) We are currently ignoring the addictions that constitute the greatest danger to society, and (5) The proposed paradigm shift, along with a recognition of the traditional meaning of addiction in the English language, will open up our field to fresh research questions and an expanded role in addressing the terrifying dangers of our times.