What Cookies and Meth Have in Common

choi

Richard A Friedman, What Cookies and Meth Have in Common; We created the perfect environment for drug and food addition. New York Times, July 2, 2017 (in the SundayReview section).
(paragraph 1: "As a psychiatrist, I have yet to meet a patient who enjoys being addicted to drugs or compulsive eating")

My comment:
(a) NYT introduces the writer this way: "A professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and a contributing opinion writer."  (NYT calls editorials opinions.)
(b) There is no need to read the rest of the opinion, in part because scientists or clinicians do not know why people become or remain additive.
(c) The statement is surprising. Those of us who do not deal with addicts always thought they derive pleasure from additions.
(d) Recently a Chinese from PRC told me he enjoyed 二锅头. I asked (in Mandarin) what made him enjoy it, a few times. Finally, he became exasperated: "喝酒不是因为它是甜的, 苦的, 还是辣的"  I retorted: "啤酒就是苦的, 还特别加了 hops  使它變苦.” (for flavoring and antibacterial effect). He was speechless. Another time, I inquired, "喝酒是不是為了醉醺醺的感觉?"  He said yes. I: "那為什麼不直接喝酒精?" He had no answer.