Thinking About Addiction

The real solution would have been for Prince to have received treatment for his drug problem, which by this time was a far bigger issue than his somatic pain.

A number of experts pointed out the risks associated with a dramatic increase in opioid prescribing. They were ignored in favor of others who downplayed those risks.

It’s a move that helps bring the FDA on board with the CDC, instead of simply reviewing and approving new pharmaceutical opioids for the marketplace.

The theory is that the more users we put in jail or prison, the fewer left out on the street. So why hasn’t that substantially reduced arrest and overdose statistics?

Maybe you’ll even suggest the medication. And the marketing team wants you to leave the doctor’s office with a prescription for that med.

I’ve been expecting a public relations counterattack on behalf of, and probably funded by, the pharmaceutical industry.

Based on the vast number of prescriptions for opioid medications written by US practitioners over the past few decades, we’ve become the clear leaders in opioid prescribing.

The author correctly observes that the type of treatment offered for addiction will reflect prevailing beliefs about addiction itself– its causes, effects, likely outcome.

Is that pain evidence of a worsening physical condition or of drug withdrawal?

Many of those programs treat opioid users without relying on medication, and yet manage to achieve remarkable success rates– sometimes 80% over a five year period.