Thinking About Addiction

As the old chief says in the movie Little Big Man: “Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

We don’t have the option of simply forgoing the use of opioids in medicine because, frankly, we don’t have a viable alternative.

So where does that leave us? Without a standard.

A Federal judge once concluded in a famous lawsuit: It was clear that psychiatrists get together to define various disorders, and then every so often, get back together to redefine them.

Battling an epidemic requires considerable cross-state cooperation and coordination– something that’s never easy, even with strong Federal support.

“You don’t see much motivation or insight. But I guess that’s why they have to be compelled in the first place, right?”

Substance Use Disorders don’t appear overnight. People who develop them may use for months or years or even decades before they seek help.

Shame always plays a role. Not just the shame of discovery, but the shame of having a problem in the first place.

Here was a physician who regularly committed an assortment of crimes without considering himself a criminal. To his way of thinking, he was the victim.

In one state that legalized cannabis, price has now fallen 25% and continues to drop.