Addiction to meth not a death sentence

Source: The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.迷你倉Sept. 06--The biggest thing people get wrong about meth is that it's impossible to beat.That's the message one recovery expert says he would like to be heard by every addict in search of what they need most -- hope.Anthony Alberta, PhD., says he'd also like to get this message across to non-addicts who repeat what he says is the often-heard statement that meth addiction is a death sentence with little hope for recovery."Meth addiction is treatable. There is no doubt about that. Meth is just as treatable as any other drug out there," said Alberta, program director with The Living Center in Yuma. "Fifty percent of people who complete treatment successfully recover. That means they are abstinent from use for about two years. That is comparable with other drugs across the board."Alberta doesn't dispute the ugliness of meth addiction or its grip over addicts. He sees a problem with popular culture adding sensational fire to fact, creating a mythology about meth that can discourage addicts to seek help."If we promote the idea that meth addiction is not treatable, then it becomes in fact untreatable. The perfection becomes the reality," he said. "I think if a person believes there is no hope, no possibility of recovery, they make totally different decisions than if they believed recovery is possible."What meth addicts need, he says, is to enroll in a clinically proven program, specifically one offering cognitive behavioral therapy.But Alberta does point to some unique aspects about meth addiction that make it different from other drugs, but not necessarily worse. Addicts, for example, often experience clinical depression during recovery, an obstacle that can derail recovery if the addict and therapist aren't prepared for this phenomena ahead of time."That depression becomes a whole other treatment issue that can affect the outcome of the drug treatment itself," he said. "There are physiological reasons involving longtime impact on the brain that can lead to clinical depression."He also warned that recovery programs more geared toward dealing with alcohol have a poor track record in helping people who are addicted to meth. He explained that the problem is such programs' reliance on members or clients go儲存ng back and relating stories of their time as addicts."One thing that has been demonstrated is that having (meth addicts) recount their experience while using drugs actually tends to drive relapse, increasing cravings," Alberta said, adding that recovery isn't simply recovery. "Generally speaking, meth and cocaine addiction are different from other drugs, drugs that depress the nervous system."He added that meth addicts do face a special challenge that may present post-rehabilitation challenges. He noted that a key to successful recovery upon leaving a program is an addict being able to return to a life that offers resources and support ranging from friends and family to a job and home.Many meth addicts have often lost many of these resources."People that enter into treatment and come out and have lost their job and lost their home and lost their family, they step out there totally alone and they have much fewer resources to support them in recovery," Alberta said.He explained that a legal response to drug addiction often hurts addicts more than helping them, a response not evenly applied to all addictions. He gave alcohol addiction as an example."It's okay to go out and get drunk every night. That's legal in our society. But meth is illegal from top to bottom, so people tend to get involved in the criminal justice system and lose all ties to their resources by virtue of their involvement in the criminal justice system," Alberta said. "The Living Center administrator sees a major problem with society and government seeing drug addiction as anything other than a healthcare issue."We still view drug addiction primarily as a moral and legal problem. I don't view recovery in any form as magical or spiritual or wonderful. I see recovery from addiction as a rational response to a healthcare issue," he said. "Nobody goes to the doctor because they have gout and we say, 'Oh that's wonderful that you have recovered from gout!' They probably have done very similar things to improve their health. Again, addiction is a healthcare issue."Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.) Visit The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.) at .yumasun.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉