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When an alcoholic is looking for treatment for their addiction, there are many different ways people would suggest that they go about getting help. Some recommend residential treatment and detox, others say go to AA for support meetings, still others say quit cold turkey. One of the newer approaches to treating alcoholism is to use a drug like Vivitrol to end the addiction. The best solution, however, may be a combination of methods.
Eight million people in America are estimated to be alcoholics, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholics. Many of these people continue to live with their alcoholism without getting help, often because getting sober may seem overwhelming to them.
Using drugs to treat alcoholism
Makers of Vivitrol have hopes that their drug will make the recovery process easier for the alcoholic. This drug follows other drugs since the 1940s that were created to treat alcoholism. The first one was Antabuse, which creates bad side effects like nausea when combined with alcohol. But the thing about these drugs is that a person has to keep taking them in order for them to work. If an individual has a weak moment and decides they don’t want to struggle with recovery anymore, they can stop taking the medication, which will start the alcohol cycle all over again.
Another drug, Campral, reduces the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, helping the patient ease out of their addiction. But this drug has to be taken 3 times a day and does not work for everyone.
Naltrexone was the next drug and was the precursor to Vivitrol. It blocks neural receptors in order to reduce cravings for alcohol. Again, Naltrexone has to be taken everyday which makes it really impractical for alcoholics.
Pros and Cons of Vivitrol
Along came Vivitrol, a slow release version of Naltrexone. Vivitrol is given as an injection once a month and it really seems to reduce cravings in some people and decreases their drinking.
But the drug alone is not likely to cure alcoholism, and the lack of sales by the company has shown that not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Some doctors do prescribe Vivitrol along with counseling for their patients that seem to continue to crave alcohol even after treatment. But other people feel strongly against using a drug to treat alcoholism, calling it a crutch. Other doctors stay away from Vivitrol because of the cost and difficulty in getting reimbursed by insurance companies. Still more people don’t like the effects it has on other areas of a person’s life that usually associate with a “high” feeling, such as sex and exercise, which seem to be dulled by the drug also.
So it seems that the magic pill has not yet been discovered, but we will keep looking. Breaking the addiction to alcohol still takes a lot of hard work and determination. A good treatment facility can help a patient coordinate the resources they need, from counseling, to therapy, to medication, in order to stay sober.
Sources
Wallack, Todd Alcoholism drug not an easy sell March 23, 2009
Naltrexone – Treatment for Alcoholism and Addiction March 23, 2009
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Comment by treatment (treatment) — April 16, 2009 @ 9:44 pm
Vivitrol for Treating Alcoholism – http://tinyurl.com/ddbqj3
Comment by Mike — April 18, 2009 @ 7:13 am
Vivitrol? Well, I think whatever works, works. If someone can benefit from the drug then they should take it, and they should go to AA, get therapy help. Nothing is as easy as just taking a substance to make it all go away. Isn’t that what was happening to begin with?
Comment by rich v — April 20, 2009 @ 9:36 am
ending the craving and dealing with the addiction to alcohol is only one small piece of my struggle with this disease. just getting rid of the drink didn’t solve any of the myriad problems i face day to day. Personally i needed a way to deal with life; guidelines for dealing with my problems and learning to live. A recovery program such as AA treats me as a person. It doesn’t only help me deal with the obsession and the craving but it helps me become a better person, it gives me the tools to deal with my daily life. There isn’t any pill that can do that.
Comment by Jared — April 20, 2009 @ 9:56 am
Quick fixes, immediate gratification, Happy pills etc. These are all part of our problems as addicts. We look to outside sources and substances for solutions to our problems. Treatment is needed for alcoholism, the individual must recover or else they will continue to drink and no pill can stop that!
I do believe that a drug which helps curb cravings while an addict pursues REAL recovery is beneficial. The individual needs real addiction treatment, not just a prescription from a doctor.