Re: A lot of good kernels in the replies....
cassandra
location: at the Home for the Bewildered
listening to: old stuff, new stuff, borrowed stuff, blue stuff
registered: 2003.03.17
posts: 1538
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The trick is, as with Campral and Antabuse, the person has to take it.
I see many alcoholics who, acknowledging the problem, get scripts for those medications and then just don't take them because they still want to drink, psychologically. In addition, "allowing" someone with a drinking problem to have "a drink or two" is a dangerous game of Russian roulette.
Recent research into addiction shows that support meetings, counseling, etc in addition to medications, are able to help to re-set the neural pathways in the brain.
And, the findings on Naltrexone are still early and short term. It's promising but the other two meds are still the lines of first defense.For opiate addiction, Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone is not the magic bullet that many think. It doesn't work for many people and usually is most effective for people who have not used long and hard.It is also now being abused. A huge problem in some states. And, because it is prescribed sometimes a week's or month's supply at a time, a large black market has emerged.Not to sound so negative. All of these things have great ability to help users. But first they really really really need to want to and make the other necessary changes.
C
cassandra
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The trick is, as with Campral and Antabuse, the person has to take it.
I see many alcoholics who, acknowledging the problem, get scripts for those medications and then just don't take them because they still want to drink, psychologically. In addition, "allowing" someone with a drinking problem to have "a drink or two" is a dangerous game of Russian roulette.
Recent research into addiction shows that support meetings, counseling, etc in addition to medications, are able to help to re-set the neural pathways in the brain.
And, the findings on Naltrexone are still early and short term. It's promising but the other two meds are still the lines of first defense.For opiate addiction, Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone is not the magic bullet that many think. It doesn't work for many people and usually is most effective for people who have not used long and hard.It is also now being abused. A huge problem in some states. And, because it is prescribed sometimes a week's or month's supply at a time, a large black market has emerged.Not to sound so negative. All of these things have great ability to help users. But first they really really really need to want to and make the other necessary changes.
