Can Addiction Be Cured With a Pill?
Current research in anti-addiction has opened the door for prescription medications that allegedly treat the symptoms of addiction. Naltrexone is the newest medication to be making headlines. The news is especially controversial because it demonstrates the possibility that addiction may soon be treated like a brain disease that a family doctor can address. This development is similar to the way in which depression moved from being treated in mental health facilities 30 years ago, to primary care doctor’s offices, with medications like Prozac being readily available to anyone who seeks treatment.
Naltrexone functions by blocking the release of brain chemicals that are linked to pleasure and excitement. Earlier drugs used to treat addicts, like Suboxone for opioid addiction, similarly prevent the release of feel good chemicals when taking opiates, but can still be addictive because they contain opioid ingredients. A federally funded study for Naltrexone called COMBINE compared cognitive-behavioral therapy alone with the combined treatment of therapy and the medication. The study showed that patients receiving the combined treatment were more likely to stay sober and drank less if they did relapse.
The general sentiment in the rehab industry is that medications do not treat the long-term effects of addiction. The traditional method of treatment includes the 12 step program and intensive therapy workshops. Although it is a disease of the brain, there is also a significant behavioral aspect that requires special attention and cannot be cured with a pill. Advocates of traditional treatment facilities stand behind the principle that the road to recovery requires foundational healing and total system recovery – a transformation that cannot be discovered by medication alone.
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April 24th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
[...] Original post by Drug Rehab Blog from Gatehouse Academy [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am
No, addiction cannot be cured with a pill. If that were the case, then there would be no need for drug and alcohol centers. Rather, addiction is a lifelong disease that must be battled one day at a time if it is truly ever to be overcome.