The Science of Addiction

Addiction specialist Sally Marlow examines the science behind
addiction to find out why so many people in Britain are hooked on
drugs and alcohol.


Neuroscientists now have a sophisticated understanding of the
networks in the brain that can pull a person towards addiction
and hold them there. Changes in the brain also help to explain
why it can be so incredibly hard to quit. But brains don't act in
isolation, and neuroscience doesn't explain everything.


Why do some people get hooked in the first place while others,
who use drugs recreationally, do not? How much of addiction is
genetic, and how much does free will play a role? What about our
social environments and life experiences?


Addiction specialists have a good understanding of the complex
web of factors that drive people towards addiction and know which
treatments work. So why are addiction rates for many drugs at an
all-time high? Does society even want to find the answers? Sally
talks to some of the scientists who wrestle with these questions
and to Mel, John, Lavinia and Kevin who reflect on their own
experiences of addiction and recovery.


Producer: Beth Eastwood


First broadcast on Tuesday 24 September, 2019.