Medical anthropologist and author Elizabeth F.S. Roberts joins the Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast to discuss her thought-provoking book, In Praise of Addiction: How We Can Learn to Love Dependency in a Damaged World.

Drawing on years of research in Mexico City, Roberts explores a radically different way of understanding addiction—not as the opposite of connection, but as a form of connection itself. She examines how cultural beliefs about independence, self-control, and dependency shape the way we think about substance use, recovery, and human relationships.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How the meaning of "addiction" has changed throughout history
• The difference between addiction and vice in Mexican cultural perspectives
• Why shame and isolation often worsen addiction-related harms
• How American individualism influences treatment and recovery approaches
• What soda consumption in Mexico can teach us about addiction
• Why dependency may be a universal human experience
• The role of community, belonging, and connection in recovery

This episode challenges many commonly held assumptions about addiction and offers a fresh lens for clinicians, people in recovery, family members, and anyone interested in understanding human behavior more deeply.

About the Guest

Elizabeth F. S. Roberts is professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan and the author of In Praise of Addiction: How We Can Learn To Love Dependency in a Damaged World and God’s Laboratory: Assisted Reproduction in the Andes. Since 2013, she has participated in collaborative environmental health research in Mexico City. She, along with many family members, has struggled with addiction.

Links:

• E-mail: lfsrob@umich.edu
• Book-
  • https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691245805/in-praise-of-addiction?srsltid=AfmBOoospzenUCk2UttASSl3jm03ctqyyjDDj04eEl4MZGhJLTMsDN2H
  • https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/elizabethroberts/

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Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.