More and more addicts are turning to pills (which may seem a little paradoxical at first!)in order to beat their addictions.
Research into addiction increasingly sees it as a brain disease and not always something that a person can just stop doing.
As more and more pills are coming on the market for addicts, they are depending less on rehab clinics and more on these prescriptions.
A new pill called Naltrexone is seeing success by eliminating the craving felt by so many addicts. Naltrexone joins other anti-addiction pills like Antabuse (for alcoholics) and there are many other formulas being tested.
Studies are showing very good outcomes with anti-addiction medications and those currently using them say they work, and work well.
Traditionalists, however, are not so quick to adopt anti-addiction pills. Many still believe that talk therapy and 12 step-type programs are better, and treat the body, mind and spirit of a person, rather than just the body/brain. Proponents of anti-addiction pills admit to being frustrated by many rehab clinics reluctance to even discuss the option of anti-addiction medication with their patients/clients - some even believe that rehab clinics are not interested in this newer approach for fear of going out of business. Not so, say the clinics. They simply believe their approach is better due to their well-rounded approach and that even though addiction is a brain disease - the emotional and spiritual healing they offer is just as important.
Of course, like any treatment for addiction, the addict has to make the decision to get treatment and stick with it - no matter what kind they choose.
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Do you think anti-addiction pills could replace therapy? Have you had any experience with either?
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Great story, Susan. I have a friend that had an addiction to pills for several years (Vicodin, OxyCotin, etc). She went to rehab and came out taking another pill to stop her urges for pills. I cannot remember the name of the pill she had to take to counteract the pill urge but it seemed a little redundant to me to have her quit one drug to start another one.
The sad part of the story is that after her rehabilitation, she was involved in a major car accident that caused her severe pain in her back and she returned to pill abuse. This time legally with a prescription.
Unfortunately, I have several stories that I could share about pill abuse among my friends including an overdose that left a friend of mine dead in her car sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store. It is sad, none the less. Prescription drug abuse has become so common.
I recently was diagnosed with a severe sinus and ear infection which the physician prescribed me an antibiotic, nose spray and told me to purchase Claratin D for my sinus infection. Little did I know that when I went to purchase the Claratin D, it was behind the counter and I also had to sign my name three times in order to purchase them (5 pills). After speaking to the pharmacist, I came to realize that people were making crystal methamphetamines with the pills. What has the world come to with the drug craze?
April 18, 2009 - 9:16amThis Comment