Warning: Addiction to drugs cannot be cured with drugs
A workable definition of addiction is being physically or psychologically dependent on something. With that definition then, is an addict cured when a drug rehab program takes him off his drug of choice and replaces it with another drug. One of their choice?
No. All drug use is risky, even if a drug is legal and prescribed by a doctor. There is risk to an addict’s body, risk from side effects, many of which are unpredictable and dangerous. And more importantly, there is great risk to an addict’s mind, his most important weapon against further drug abuse.
Some legally prescribed drugs are physically addictive. The cases of high profile celebrities who’ve become hooked on painkillers is warning enough to avoid any program that uses these powerful, unpredictable drugs. But a more insidious problem is created by the use of replacement or maintenance medications such as antidepressants.
And this takes me back to the definition of addiction, “being physically or psychologically dependent on something”. To beat addiction for good, an addict must regain his confidence that he can live without drugs. If a clinic puts him on a prescription or two or three, an addict is brainwashed to believe that he can’t live without drugs. Which makes him an addict forever. And from there, he’s once again on a path that’s narrow and full of pitfalls. One step can take him over the edge and deep into the abyss of illegal drug addiction again. Which probably explains high relapse rates the failure to permanently cure addiction, which often run in the 80% range.
While I’ve not see recent studies, I believe that such high relapse rates stem from an unproven notion that drug addiction is a disease and that this disease can be cured with drugs.
Addiction to drugs cannot be cured by causing further addiction to drugs. This is so important, it’s worth repeating. Addiction to drugs, by definition, cannot be cured by causing further addiction to drugs. You must keep this in mind when looking for a drug rehab program for you or a loved one.
At Georgia Alliance, we take this to heart and refer our Clients who need drug rehab in Georgia to a drug free program exclusively. It’s pretty simple. We want our Clients to beat addiction for good. To be drug free forever. Drugs are only used in a few cases and for a very limited time, where an addict must be weaned off a powerful drug such as heroin.
Wishing you the best,
Fritz Alders
Managing Partner, Georgia Alliance