Stanton Peele was a psychologist who wrote his memoir on “his lonely quest to change our perception of addiction.” Respect Is Not My Thing. He has fought a hard and sometimes lonely battle to promote the notion that drug addicts are not criminals, but patients who deserve “treatment”.
As Peele concedes in An Edge Science LifeHis “reckless personality,” which explains his failure to succeed in academia, is also a contributing factor. But it is also true that his nuanced understanding of addiction—which rejects the disease label and emphasizes the personal, social, cultural, and economic factors underlying self-destructive preoccupations with drug use and many other pleasurable activities—cogently contradicts the prejudices that still dominate the drug policy debate.
Along with other prohibitionists, they want us believe that drugs are addictive. This is a false belief. Peele shows in his books how the vast majority who abuse drugs are actually not addicts. don’t become addicted.
Peele spent over half a century explaining how this works. Short answer: Most people have more important things to do. The memoir can be a useful place to start.