Addiction; Desperate Maladies Require Desperate Remedies

An addiction is an uncontrollable strong craving for something, or to be abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. There are many types of addiction, the most common are alcohol addiction, narcotic addiction, and drug addiction; also known as substance dependence. Drug addiction is the compulsive use of drugs, to the extreme point where the user has no other choice but to continue to use them. A drug addict might address his beloved drug in De Quincey’s words, “thou hast the keys of Paradise, oh, just, subtle, and mighty opium!” An addict’s paradise is an inferno in disguise. The demon of drug abuse has engulfed the entire world. It has clutched the youth of society in its deadly jaws. The range of addictive drugs or substances and widely abused drugs include Alcohol, Anabolic steroids, Analgetics, Barbiturates, Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Chloral hydrate, trichloroethanol & derivatives, Cocaine, Codeine, Dextroproxyp, Dextromethorphan, Ethchlorvynol, Fentanyl & its analogs, Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Glutethimide, Heroin (Diacetylmorphine), Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Ketamine, Laxatives, Levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), Meperidine, Meprobamate, Methamphetamine & other Amphetamines, Methaqualone & related sedative-hypnotics, Methadone, Methcathinone, Morphine, Nicotine, Oxycodone, Opium, Xanax, Paraldehyde (Paral), Phencyclidine (PCP), and Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol). Drugs have dragged the addicts to the deep dungeons of oblivion. The whole international community that is direly worried about the problem of drug abuse, has given a loud and clear call to medical institutes and organizations to liberate the victims of drug addiction. Psychological experts and researchers are always raking their minds to know why people fall prey to drugs. Their studies have divulged that drugs and intoxicants are used to forget or negate the frustrations of life, failures in life, dejected love affairs, depression, or sometimes for fun or adventure. “Thank the Lord, there’s a ray of hope!” Doctors and researchers have been able to invent some treatments for drug addiction. Standard drug addiction treatment may include behavioral therapy, medications, or a combination of both. Medication therapy includes medical treatment to beat drug addiction. Behavioral therapy consists of counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy. The third method, the combination of both, is proving to be the most effective treatment for addiction recovery. In medication therapy, for instance, addiction treatment like methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone are helpful for opium addicted people. Nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray and bupropion are quite effective for people addicted to nicotine. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or neuroleptics, are helpful for treatment of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychosis. As drug addiction is a chronic disorder, there’s no effective short-term treatment for it. It requires a long-term treatment to beat drug addiction. Finally, strong will power plays a key role in addiction treatment and addiction recovery. Psychotherapists can play an important role in building up the patients’ will to beat drug addiction. Martin H. Fischer says, “There is only one reason why men become addicted to drugs, they are weak men. Only strong men are cured, and they cure themselves.”