Treatment

We have to ensure the safety and security of those who reside there. It’s not the sort of business that naturally self-regulates. That’s what government is for.

It may seem to the individual as if it happens by itself– the result of an autopilot, set to return home.

But given the experience in other fields of healthcare, a return to the old lifestyle, however destructive, may be little more than human nature.

With the increased risk of overdose from fentanyl and other synthetics, the path to recovery may be even bumpier, in terms of repeat emergencies. The folks in the Business Office would rather avoid that.

An answer such as vigorous exercise or meditation or going to a meeting will never be as universally attractive to someone a few weeks sober as “well, here, why don’t you toke this?”

It usually comes back to the assumption that another problem ‘underlies’ addiction, and therefore will respond to treatment with the “right” drug, if we can figure out what it is.

Might be that clinicians can teach patients to activate their own body’s placebo response, in order to feel better.

Does his use of pot reduce his craving for alcohol (as he claims), or is it actually helping to trigger his drinking?

I’ve never had much success explaining to a patient in the first 30 days of recovery that when Bobby smokes dope, it’s medicine, but when Liz lights up, it’s drug abuse.

I’ve come to view it more as a tool for harm reduction than a path to long term recovery, with some notable exceptions.