A Perspective on Opioid Addiction - by Jay Schulkin & Bryce Huebner

About the Book

Jay Schulkin, a behavioral neuroscientist, and Bryce Huebner, a philosopher, explore the complexities of opioid addiction through a distinctive combination of neuroscientific knowledge and pragmatist thought.

Book Synopsis

Today, the opioid crisis often feels intractable. This book offers a wider perspective on its underlying causes, examining the biological, psychological, and social aspects of addiction and the interactions among them.

Jay Schulkin, a behavioral neuroscientist, and Bryce Huebner, a philosopher, explore the complexities of opioid addiction through a distinctive combination of neuroscientific knowledge and pragmatist thought. They detail the biological and neurological processes that shape and sustain addiction, showing why opiates' power to ease pain makes us vulnerable to abusing them. The book discusses the relationship between addiction and depression, the dilemmas of pain management, and the meaning of recovery. Schulkin and Huebner underscore the stigma that marginalizes people who struggle with addiction and the social factors that shape access to treatment and care, calling for a focus on harm reduction. They consider questions of individual and social accountability, reflecting on choice, autonomy, and freedom.

Interdisciplinary and wide-ranging, this book brings deep learning, empathy, and insight to understanding the experience of addiction.

Review Quotes

Why do people use opioids? Among those who do, why do some become addicted? And how can we help them? Schulkin and Huebner provide a fascinating look at the science and philosophy of opioid use that attempts to tackle these thorny questions--with the admirable goal of taking that perspective and telling us how we can make real progress against addiction and overdose.--Travis N. Rieder, Johns Hopkins University

Schulkin and Huebner expertly blend neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and the history of medicine to explore the brain's mechanisms of desire and addiction. Drawing parallels between opioid dependence and natural cravings, this book offers an illuminating perspective on how our brain reshapes pleasure, pain, and the pursuit of fulfillment.--Kent Berridge, James Olds Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Michigan

About the Author

Jay Schulkin (1952-2023) was the author or coauthor of dozens of books on a vast range of subjects. He held academic and research positions at Georgetown University, the University of Washington, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the National Institutes of Mental Health. His previous Columbia University Press books are Mind Ecologies: Body, Brain, and World (2020, with Matthew Crippen) and The Brain in Context: A Pragmatic Guide to Neuroscience (2019, with Jonathan D. Moreno).

Bryce Huebner is a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University.