Can You Cure Your Own Drug Addiction?
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Could it be possible to cure your own drug addiction, and if so, what would the implications be for hundreds of reputable drug and alcohol recovery centers around the world which exist merely to help people kick the habit? According to an article published in Scientific American,
In 1982 Stanley Schachter, an eminent social psychologist then at Columbia University, unleashed a storm of controversy in the addictions field by publishing an article show-ing that most former smokers and overweight people he interviewed had changed successfully without treatment. He also cited a study that reported even higher rates of recovery among heroin users without treatment.
Looking More Closely at Heroin Addiction
Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs with not-so-pleasant side effects from withdrawal. With regards to attempting to reduce and/or eliminate dependency on this drug, two approaches to heroin addiction rehabilitation are generally taken.
- Substitute heroin use with a longer-acting opioid such as methadone or buprenorphine. The doses of these drugs are slowly reduced over time. Studies have shown that methadone treatment is safe for heroin dependency patients who are pregnant.
- Use benzodiazepines to suppress the anxiety that is associated with heroin withdrawal. This approach is used with caution, since benzodiazepines are also an addictive drug, whose withdrawal causes many more fatalities than heroin itself. Some addiction rehabilitation programs offer detox under anesthesia – where large doses of opiate-blocking drugs are administered to an anaesthetized patient.
But what about doing it yourself? What would the medical and/or mental repercussions be for someone who was an avid heroin user and suddenly decided, without warning, to stop? Most rehab programs offer some sort of counseling for changing or improving destructive behavior, something which most drug users need in order to help them deal with the addictiveness of whatever drug they have been abusing. Is it possible, though, to cure yourself of a nasty drug habit?
For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
Interesting. I think it certainly can be done - but naturally it would be far more difficult. Those people that I know have done it had extremely strong support structures in place and followed a program rigorously, like going to NA meetings daily. Going to Rehab for a highly addictive substance like Heroin should definitely be first option because the stakes are so high - using a drug like that means you’re always playing with death.