MONTHLY SERIES (Part 11)–UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION, RECOVERY, & WELLNESS: Medical Treatment History
History of Medication Treatment of Addiction
1907-1913, First of two waves of medical treatment state laws pass calling for the mandatory sterilization of “defectives”: the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, alcoholics and addicts.
Purpose
I am concerned with the popular notion that simple solutions will solve the addiction crisis in the USA. Therefore, until the general public understands the complex nature of addiction, the government and medical personnel will fall short in applying appropriate medical treatment. At times, this lack of understanding can cause more harm for a generation by diverting time and resources to inappropriate programs. In some cases, treatment can harm the addicted patients by enhancing their chemical dependence.
Past Harmful Medical Treatments
In 1805 morphine was isolated from opium. Heroine was synthesized in 1874 as a substitute drug to help morphine addicted American Civil war soldiers. These and other chemicals were prescribed to counter many addictions. Later in the 1880s, Sigmund Freud and other physicians recommend cocaine in the treatment of alcoholism and morphine addiction. Many cures for addictions and other ailments at the time had alcohol, opium, morphine, cocaine and cannabis in the concoction.
I believe it is a no brainer that an addict using one drug will be very susceptible to taking other chemicals that will enhance the same feeling. It is the feeling that the addict craves and that feeling can change according to what experience the addict is going through. in general, most long-term addicts want just to feel normal and sometimes to gain relief for what ails them. At other times, they want to feel euphoria and party.
However, the problem with giving a maintenance level of a drug to an addict is that over time their body develops a tolerance for the drug. Additionally, there is the concern that they will take more of the drug to gain euphoric rush which is a motive that seems never really to go away completely. In other cases, the patient will seek out other substances or behaviors to maintain a “high” feeling that enhances the addiction. In many cases, the result is a return to the original addictive substance with more intense and frequent use.
Trends
In doing research for this post, I was taken by how little improvement we see over ions. Overall, people are still looking for magic to cure addiction. Similarly, it it like the ancient Greeks and Romans gathering at temples for help with addiction. Then again with the turn of the century scientist looking for magic vaccines from infected horses. A positive trend now is that there are organizations that accept the scientific model. And, there are formal education specialists who learn best practices for the treatment of addicts.
Future Posts
The use of medication is popular in the treatment of addicts and the public needs to understand ramifications of this. The next post will address current medications in use to help addicts and the pros and cons of their use.
QUESTIONS
Do you have a specific question related to addiction and recovery? Please send your comments and questions to eaglekenj@gmail.com and I will cover it in a future blog post. Also, stay tuned for details regarding my online program, “Addiction, Recovery, Wellness.”
Kenneth J. Orlich, LMSW, LMFT, CAADC, ACSW is a clinical social worker, family and marriage therapist, and addiction specialist with over 35 years of experience working as a clinician with the addicted.
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