I spoke with Dr David Nutt of @Drug_Science on one of addiction science’s biggest errors: dopamine as the whole story. “Patently daft,” he says. (We also talk psychedelics, drug development, and circuit models) Read more and listen here: carlerikfisher.substack.com/p/what-addic...

This book is out TODAY! I put my whole heart into it. You can buy it wherever you buy books. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725681...

My event on June 10 at The Strand is sold out but there are a few tickets left for the Brooklyn launch with Leslie Jamison at Public Records via Books Are Magic: www.eventbrite.com/e/offsite-me...

I’m excited for this podcast with @drcarlerik.bsky.social and @owenflanagan.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/f...

I got to interview Owen Flanagan, an excellent philosopher of addiction (and much more), about his new book, What Is It Like to Be an Addict? open.substack.com/pub/carlerik...

relevant front page of FT today about the Trump memecoin today, which I discuss in my gambling essay

I have a new essay out in The New York Times today: "What Sports Betting Reveals About Addiction." I challenge some assumptions about addiction through the lens of America’s sports betting explosion, just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/o...

I wrote about the paradox of self-control in addiction. open.substack.com/pub/carlerik...

Keith Humphreys and John Kelly setting the record straight

RFK says he supports methadone and buprenorphine — but majorly misrepresents a study that he claimed shows 12-step programs are more effective vs. opioid addiction (The study was exclusively about alcohol!) www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/r...

The Society for the Study of Addiction have just joined Bluesky. Please give them a follow! @ssa-addiction.bsky.social

Excellent new substack on publishing from a superstar agent!

As a clinician and someone in recovery from a serious alcohol use problem, I find this paper very thoughtful and useful! Very good starting point and call to action. "Alcohol research has a problem with pleasure". I agree, but I would also suggest that pleasure research has a problem with pleasure

New 'For debate' paper in @addictionjournal.bsky.social in which we ask whether alcohol research needs to take pleasure more seriously. It's an invitation to discuss, so I'd be interested to hear views! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Phil & psych folks, Richard Gipps @drgipps.bsky.social is on Bluesky! Give him a follow. Several years ago, when Richard joined Twitter, I made a similar announcement so that people would follow him. That was the beginning of a rewarding friendship ☺️ (1/4)

congrats on an excellent first lead-author paper, @mattflathers.bsky.social ! (in my somewhat biased opinion...)

With great collaborators, I have a new paper in BMJ Mental Health. AI-generated imagery often amplifies harmful stereotypes about mental disorders. How models like DALL-E 3 and Midjourney shape public perceptions of mental illness. Here's a summary with some images: open.substack.com/pub/carlerik...

I was very happy to be involved with this study of AI depictions of psychiatric diagnoses--it shows how image generation models reflect cultural perceptions of mental disorders, including harmful bias. Open access: mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/27/1...

I love the articulation of 'discursive pollution’ here- how commercial actors and forces "contaminate scientific and policy debates and harm public and environmental health." Nice angle on a big topic

I wrote about the specific technology design features that can weaken our self-control. A brief review of some recent commentary and classification What makes the internet addictive? carlerikfisher.substack.com/p/what-makes...

This is a fascinating development: an official "Plain Language Big Book" of AA. The original book is from 1939 and uses really florid language at times, so this plain language version could be useful for anyone interested in mutual help for whom that's challenging. www.aa.org/sites/defaul...