A practicing physician and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine, Dr. Drew knows a thing or two about addiction and other mental health issues. Take a look at this interview he did over with the Fix when you get a chance.
We need to remind ourselves that each case of substance use needs to be evaluated individually. These are complex cases, every one of them. Each case has the potential to include pre-existing trauma issues, personality issues, psychiatric problems, brain injury from substances, withdrawal issues, post-acute withdrawal issues, iatrogenic issues, and genetic predispositions. Every case is a byzantine alchemy of all these different forces, and we really need to evaluate each one individually.