Lesley wrote:Those kind of all-consuming addictions are a symptom. There's always an underlying problem dealing with life, hence the need to anesthetize. Happy, well-adjusted people rarely turn into addicts.
Most of the science says that's partly correct, but definitely not the whole story. Seems like there's a biochemical reason that people become addicted - it's like a "lock and key" type reaction - the drugs being a chemical mimic a neurotransmitter, which unlocks a receptor and BAM!
So, addiction is not a "weakness", just like mental illness is not a "weakness". There's chemistry involved.
FWIW prescription drugs have been killing a lot more people than illicit drugs the last few years.

