Will Self on Philip Seymour Hoffman and drugs

Following the death of the American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman from an apparent drug overdose, the writer Will Self has spoken about the nature of drug addiction.

Self, who has often spoken publicly about his own experiences with drugs, said the shocked reaction to Hoffman's death was partly due to how private the actor had kept his personal life, as well as the "image heroin has in our culture".

He told BBC Newsnight that people who return to drug use after a long period of abstinence often cannot accurately judge the dose.