Author posts
We could cut the opioid death rate by 50% – but we’re not
As more and more people die, drug companies keep reaping in a massive profit.
January 08, 2019
What's worse than drug addiction? The cruelty of drug treatments.
Drug treatment centers pose potential threats to drug addicts.
December 16, 2018
Understanding addiction: Why your brain gets hooked on gambling
The brain of a gambling addict mimics that of a drug addict. But no outside chemicals are involved. How does that happen?
March 09, 2018
A New Definition of Addiction Makes Rehab and Recovery More Effective
We have typically defined addiction as needing a substance to function normally, but this ignores crucial psychological qualities of addiction. A new and better definition has arrived, says Maia Szalavitz.
June 15, 2016
Are America's Anti-Drug Laws Scientific? Or Are They Colonialist and Racist?
American anti-drug laws are inspired by colonialism and racism, not science. They are at odds with our current understanding of addiction and ignore the economic blight of this second gilded age.
May 05, 2016
Maia Szalavitz
Maia Szalavitz is widely viewed as one of the premier American journalists covering addiction and drugs. A neuroscience writer for TIME.com and a former cocaine and heroin addict, she understands the science and its personal dimensions in a way that few others can. is the first book-length exposé of the "tough love" business that dominates addiction treatment. Her newest book is Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction.
