I studied neuroscience to understand my addictions. Now I know it’s not the cure | Judith Grisel

Substance misuse is not a simple problem of brain chemistry. The most powerful influences lie outside our heads

I used to think addiction was caused by screwy molecules in the brain, and would be cured by neuroscience. I began learning about how the brain works after I ended up in treatment for drug addiction in the mid-1980s, when hopes for neuroscientific cures were as overblown as the hairstyles.

My own journey away from the destructive cycle of addiction has been sourced much more by factors outside my brain