The Formal Addiction Debate: ‘Is it appropriate to expand the concept of addiction to behaviours such as internet use?’
At the beginning of November, I attended the Annual SSA conference (Society for the Studies of Addiction). Over a hundred experts of addiction attended. Ranging from scientists, biologists, medics, psychologists, sociologists to epidemiologists. But not limited to those from public health, policy, both quantitative (stats) and qualitative (interviews) research …… AND representatives of pharmaceutical companies. And finally, little medical historian me (representing my discipline on my lonesome). The Thursday began with a ‘Formal’ Addiction Debate…..