Contact: Anthony Stadlen, 'Oakleigh', 2A Alexandra Avenue London N22 7XE. Email: stadlen@aol.com
Information: Professor Schaler is an existential psychotherapist and full time professor in the Department of Justice, Law and Society at American University's School of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. He is a renowned teacher, lecturer, and author. Among other awards, he received the 1999 Thomas S. Szasz Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties (professional category) from the Center for Independent Thought, New York City.
His much-discussed and controversial book Addiction is a Choice (2000) argues that:
1. No drug (including alcohol and tobacco) is ‘addictive’.
2. Drugs are not intrinsically safe or dangerous, good or bad.
3. Disease refers to cellular pathology, not behaviour.
4. ‘Loss of control’ is an unfalsifiable, hence unscientific, hypothesis.
5. ‘Addiction’ is ethical, not medical.
6. Focussing on the existential reasons for ‘addiction’ can help drug users address and resolve the problems in living they try to solve with drugs.
Whether you agree, disagree, or are undecided, you are cordially invited to discuss Professor Schaler’s argument and evidence with him in this important seminar.
Book by 12th April
