Treating Drug Addicts With More Drugs
Government-funded clinical trials for drug substitution addiction treatment practices have increased substantially in the last decade.
(PRWEB) August 2, 2005 -- Alcohol and other drug addictions are fought on
many fronts. Billions of dollars have been spent on researching unproven
theories and treatments by some groups and the government, while others have
found something that works and are busy actively stopping addiction on a daily
basis.
A recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that
federally funded clinical trials have increased more than nine times in twelve
years and today there are studies being conducted on 51 drugs for substance
abuse treatment. The funding is part of the $1.4 billion that was given to the
National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Alcoholism
and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) last year through federal appropriations. The National
Institutes of Health reports that it spends $27 billion annually on research
overall.
Some of the drugs being studied have already been approved for
other ailments including epilepsy, muscle cramping and nausea and fall under the
names topiramate, baclofen and ondansetron. These drugs, and others currently
being used as medication-assisted therapy like nalmefene and naltrexone, have
their own set of side effects according to the National Library of Medicine.
They can produce symptoms such as hypoglycemia, blurred vision, body aches and
pains, trembling hads, increased risk of seizures, vomiting, irregular
breathing, hallucinations, muscle weakness and depression.
The problem
with this, as evident by the recalls, law suits, black box warning labels and
the seemingly endless list of side-effects, is that putting people on more drugs
doesn’t help them in the long run when dealing with substance abuse and
certainly doesn’t fit the definition of rehabilitation. A person cannot be
considered clean and sober if they are on mind-altering or addictive
prescription drugs, whether they are legally prescribed or not.
In the
substance abuse field, there are simple and extremely effective rehabilitation
strategies that don't use drugs to treat individuals or subjectively evaluate
and diagnose people as having disorders. Thousands of former addicts around the
world are now living healthy, productive and drug-free lives because of the
tools provided to them by the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation and Education
Program, most of whom had previously tried traditional medical approaches and
medication only to find no results.
The Narconon Program is based on the
drug-free rehabilitation methodology developed by American author and
humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. Narconon Arrowhead is the largest center in the
international network of Narconon centers, which offers an extensive sauna
detoxification protocol and a series of life skills courses that provide addicts
with tools they can apply to overcome the barriers to living a clean and happy
life.
Without results we are simply throwing more money and lives down
the drain on ineffective treatment concepts. America’s treatment and
rehabilitation system should be focused on outcomes and accountability and
utilize effective programs with a prove track record.
The more science
and medicine focus on the chemical composition of human beings' brains and
develop more drugs to treat symptoms such as anxiety, depression and other
observable behavioral indicators that are normal for a drug addict to
experience, the more we as a nation are denying these individuals their inherent
ability to overcome their addiction.
Regardless
of what philosophy or treatment model a person may subscribe to, the most
important factor is to get people off of drugs and away from the lifestyle of an
addict and all of the social and health consequences that brings.
For
more information about drugs, addiction or rehabilitation contact Narconon
Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or log on to www.stopaddiction.com.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb267757.htm