Could Legal Drugs and a New View of Addiction Have Saved My Friend Matthew Perry?

Here’s What You Need to Know

Matty was more than just a well-known actor; he was a friend, a brother, a son, a colleague, a person who brought laughter to millions but carried a heavy burden in his private life. His struggles with substance use were no secret, but what many people didn’t see was the depth of his pain and the way our society’s approach to addiction contributed to his untimely death. I often wonder if things would have been different if our culture treated addiction differently — if drugs were legal, and if addiction wasn’t viewed as a lifelong brain disease, and once an addict always an addict.

The Trap of the Brain Disease Model

The brain disease model of addiction has long held sway in both medical circles and public discourse. It paints addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disorder that hijacks an individual’s ability to make choices, rendering them powerless against their cravings. While this model has brought much-needed attention to the seriousness of addiction, it also carries with it significant drawbacks that can hinder both understanding and treatment.

Recent research challenges the idea that addiction completely robs individuals of their ability to make…