Addiction Medicine: Vicious Cycle? Treating Addiction with More Pills

(addictionblog.org)

The world of addiction is changing from psychological to being seen now as a chronic disease.  Like Cancer, Diabetes or Heart Disease, if you don’t start treating addiction early on and let it get out of control, it starts to control you and affect your entire body.  With proper care and treatment it’s possible to subside the symptoms and be in a remission phase, but there is always a chance of relapse.

The medical establishment began regarding addiction as a medical disease rather than solely a psychological one when scientists discovered 15 years ago that drug addiction yielded physical changes in the brain. (newsmaxhealth.com)

This major shift in treatment of addiction provides an opportunity for a new and growing specialty – Addictive Medicine.

One major change in this new treatment of addiction is the emphasis on continuous care and the introduction of new pharmaceuticals into a treatment regime. Whereas patients who entered detox facilities often experienced a relapse or recovering addicts were overwhelmed with cravings for years to come, the new specialty would mean that doctors would have a more complete arsenal at their disposal to help patients fight the battle against their addictions. (holykaw.alltop.com)

The first wave of medical residents in 10 newly accredited addiction medicine residencies will start July 1. The programs, accredited by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Foundation, will signal a new era in addiction medicine, says ABAM Foundation President Kevin Kunz, MD. (addictionts.com)

“The average primary care physician sees many patients with addictive disorders, but they often don’t have anyone to consult with or refer to in order to help these patients,” Dr. Kunz said. “The residencies will produce physicians with full training in addiction medicine to help with the care of these patients. Physicians who graduate from these residencies will be a vital component of the multidisciplinary teams that treat addictive disorders.” (addictionts.com)

Are we facing a vicious drug dependency cycle of treating addiction with pills?

Last updated by Margarita at July 13, 2011.

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