Addiction continues to have a powerful impact on so many lives and families. Roughly 50 million Americans smoke, more than 16 million adults are addicted to alcohol, and the spiraling epidemic of opioid addiction took nearly 55,000 American lives in 2024. In addition to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, people are hooked on gambling, food, video games, sex, shopping, and their smartphones. Once considered a moral failing, addiction is now acknowledged as a disease that disrupts the pathways and processes that underlie desire, learning, emotional regulation, and cognition. This special edition of TIME explores the biological and environmental roots of addiction and examines how science is seeking to curb the cravings and help Americans kick the habit.
THE DISEASE OF THE PLEASURES • For as long as human beings have had ways to feel good, we’ve struggled to know when it’s time to stop.
The Addiction
THE SCIENCE OF ADDICTION • For a species wired for survival, we have an odd habit of getting hooked on things that can kill us. New research is revealing why—and opening the door to a long-dreamed-of cure.
What Hooks Us • U.S. addiction trends have changed over time. Here’s a look at what we’re battling now.
WRITTEN IN THE GENES? • Addiction has a lot of causes. One of the most basic might be found in our DNA.
COMPULSION WITHOUT THE CHEMICALS • Getting hooked on gambling, sex, shopping or another behavioral vice is every bit as overwhelming as getting hooked on alcohol and drugs. The latest brain research explains why.
THE HUNGER THAT CAN’T BE SATISFIED • Food addiction is a real addiction—and more and more people are getting hooked.
Coffee Talk: Just How Addictive Is Caffeine, Anyway?
THE NEW SCOURGE OF VAPING • E-cigarettes were supposed to be a safe way to wean smokers off tobacco—and they may help. But they’re also a powerful way to get teens hooked.
The Long History of Addiction
ADDICTION BY DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTION • Well-intentioned pain policies plus powerful opioid meds led to the current epidemic of addiction and death. But there’s new hope.
The Response
BEYOND THE 12 STEPS • The Alcoholics Anonymous model has worked for drinkers and drug addicts for decades. But there are other options as well.
How to Get the Cures to the Patients
TREATMENTS AT THE FRINGES • Two promising techniques may be able to help manage addictions by targeting key regions in the brain itself.
THE FAMILY DILEMMA • Parents can become ATMs for addicted kids, giving them money that just goes for drugs. Is it better to take a hard line and cut them off?
The Dollars and Cents of Beating Addiction
A FATHER’S FIGHT FOR HIS SON • In his memoir Beautiful Boy and the film that is based upon it, writer David Sheff told the raw tale of his son Nic’s addiction to methamphetamine, his frequent relapses, and his eventual recovery.
THE OPIOID DIARIES • An unblinking look at a national crisis.
I Am a Father
The Stories
FICTIONAL ADDICTS, REAL PAIN • In literature, television shows, movies, and elsewhere, we have been captivated by characters struggling with their addictions—and we’ve learned a lot from them too.
THE ADDICTED CREATIVE • Creativity and addiction have long seemed linked. Why do great art and great pain so often go together?
Battling the Odds • These celebrities have fought against their own addictions and have been vocal champions of the recovery journey.
TIME The Science of Addiction
Credits
STARTLING FIGURES • More Americans are touched by addiction than ever.