> But with the biological piece of the disease taken care of, a big part of the battle is already won.
I completely disagree. IMO biology is responsible for a very very small part of the problem of addiction. As somebody who lost his mother to liver disease stemming from her addictions, these types of treatments lead to even more dangerous outcomes.
A week in rehab will remove the biological dependence of alcohol.
My mom's addictions started as a teenager with food. Food was her indulgence of choice. After years of trying to rid herself of the consequences of that addiction by dieting, she turned to weight loss surgery to help. Sure, she lost a lot of weight but this merely relieved the symptoms of her disease and did nothing the disease itself.
Years later she no longer possessed the biological ability to be addicted to food so she turned to alcohol instead. The weight loss surgery combined with only 4 years of alcohol abuse (with several stints of sobriety) was enough to ruin her liver to a point of no return.
I don't dispute that this drug could be effective for the newly sober individuals who need a little extra push to remain sober. A doctor that administers this vaccine without careful followup and psychological treatment is doing the patient a disservice.
Let's not kid ourselves, this "vaccine" does nothing but mask the symptoms of the disease leaving the patient troubled, alone and without help.
Addiction is a lifelong disease and it needs to be treated as such. Without proper treatment (psychological help), the disease will morph and before you know it have ahold of your life once again.
I completely disagree. IMO biology is responsible for a very very small part of the problem of addiction. As somebody who lost his mother to liver disease stemming from her addictions, these types of treatments lead to even more dangerous outcomes.
A week in rehab will remove the biological dependence of alcohol.
My mom's addictions started as a teenager with food. Food was her indulgence of choice. After years of trying to rid herself of the consequences of that addiction by dieting, she turned to weight loss surgery to help. Sure, she lost a lot of weight but this merely relieved the symptoms of her disease and did nothing the disease itself.
Years later she no longer possessed the biological ability to be addicted to food so she turned to alcohol instead. The weight loss surgery combined with only 4 years of alcohol abuse (with several stints of sobriety) was enough to ruin her liver to a point of no return.
I don't dispute that this drug could be effective for the newly sober individuals who need a little extra push to remain sober. A doctor that administers this vaccine without careful followup and psychological treatment is doing the patient a disservice.
Let's not kid ourselves, this "vaccine" does nothing but mask the symptoms of the disease leaving the patient troubled, alone and without help.
Addiction is a lifelong disease and it needs to be treated as such. Without proper treatment (psychological help), the disease will morph and before you know it have ahold of your life once again.