Addiction expert Marc Lewis relates his own past experiences and those of others who have lived through addiction with neuropsychological theory and data. He interprets neural and phenomenological perspectives to argue against the prevalent view that addiction is a chronic brain disease. His research has focused on personality development, emotion regulation, and the neural correlates of anxiety in children and adolescents. He argues that addiction (to drugs, alcohol, and potentially harmful behaviours such as gambling) emerges from cycles of desire, satisfaction, and loss that reinforce synaptic patterns and corresponding psychological habits.

After the lecture, an open debate with a panel of experts is held on the implications of the conceptualisation of addiction as a disease.

Lewis is the author of Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, in which he describes his years of addiction and recovery. Dutch edition: Memoires van een verslaafd brein. In this book he tells his personal story while highlighting the psychological and neural mechanisms giving rise to addiction as well as the specific effects of various drugs. His recent book, The Biology of Desire, outlines his view that brain function makes us all vulnerable to addiction, which should be seen as a developmental progression rather than a disease.

This programme is organised in cooperation with the Public Health Association of Maastricht University.