Are we there yet?

I have a gut negative reaction to just handing out pills to fix things, but I also have lots of evidence that a reflexive antipathy to drugs has delayed as much good as it has held back much bad. Have we reached a point in addiction treatment that drug treatment may work better than the other options? Is the problem in alcoholism the brain-based craving, or deeper issues one drinks to cope with? And why does this question dovetail so closely to the discussion about eating disorders (where as yet there is no real pharmaceutical approach)?

With anti-addiction pill, 'no urge, no craving'

Comments

  1. Hey Laura - As usual, you bring up an interesting topic. I personally believe that addictions are brain-based illnesses like anorexia. I believe they are triggered by environmental factors, much like anorexia. My feeling is, if there is a pill that will stop that trigger from having an effect and turning into addiction, anorexia, etc. then that is awesome. That is progress. I don't think pharmaceuticals are always the answer. But I think a lot of people's lives would be changed for the better if people started to accept that addiction isn't a moral weakness, but a physiological problem. Just my two cents!

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  2. I'm with you entirely. We can hope that society comes to this way of thinking soon!

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