Dr Vincent Felitti, from Kaiser Permanente presented information from the ongoing 17,000 person Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study to challenge the conventional view that certain chemicals are intrinsically addicting.  Rather, evidence will be presented illustrating that addiction is not a primary disease, but is an unconsciously attempted response to minimize the effects of abnormal life experiences, most commonly from the developmental years.  Addiction is not the core problem.  It is the marker for the core problem.