167* Addiction with Gina Turrigiano (EF, JP)

About this episode

The episode features a discussion on various facets of addiction with neuroscientist Gina Turrigiano, exploring biological and social factors.

In Recall This Book's second episode (January 2019) John and Elizabeth spoke with their brilliant Brandeis colleague, the MacArthur-winning neuroscientist Gina Turrigiano, about a number of different facets of addiction. The conversation seems as timely as ever. What makes an addiction to a morning constitutional different from–or similar to–an addiction to Fentanyl? What are the biological and social factors to consider? Should the addict be thought of in binary terms, or addiction as a state that people move into and out of? They contemplate these questions through biological, anthropological, and literary lenses, drawing on Marc Lewis, Angela Garcia, and Thomas de Quincey. Late in the episode, there’s also a Sprockets joke. Then, in Recallable Books, Gina recommends David Linden’s The Compass of Pleasure, Elizabeth recommends When I Wear My Alligator Boots by Shaylih Muehlmann, and John recommends Sam Quinones’s Dreamland. Discussed in this episode: Marc Lewis, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease Angela Garcia, The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession Along the Rio Grande Thomas de Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium Eater: Being an Extract from…

People in this episode

Guest: Gina Turrigiano

Topics covered

• addiction
• neuroscience
• biological factors
• social factors
• literary analysis

Keywords

• Fentanyl
• morning constitutional
• Marc Lewis
• Angela Garcia
• Thomas de Quincey

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Biology of Desire, The Pastoral Clinic, Confessions of an English Opium Eater, The Compass of Pleasure, When I Wear My Alligator Boots, Dreamland

Books & works: Recall This Book's, MacArthur, Recallable Books, The Compass of Pleasure, When I Wear My Alligator Boots, Dreamland, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease Angela Garcia, The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession Along the Rio Grande, Confessions of an English Opium Eater: Being an Extract from the Life of a Scholar David Linden, The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good

Places: U.S., Mexico

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