To discover the right answer, one must first ask the right question.
This is an update to an article I wrote in 2020 challenging the idea that “the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection”. Made famous in a 2015 Ted Talk titled, Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong, the quote has been repeated countless times as though it represents some profound wisdom and holds the key to finally unlocking more effective solutions to our addiction problem. It doesn’t, on either count.
A decade has passed since Hari proffered his failed thesis, and I still cringe when I hear it, as I did yesterday while participating in a recovery gathering. I thought I’d refloat my 2020 article to see what kind of reactions I’d get today, and how well Hari’s quote has aged across recovery domains. Below is the article, with a few minor tweaks for grammar and aesthetics. I know the data are old, but they don’t change the result of the article in a material way.
Click HERE or click the graphic below to access the updated article.
