For 30 years I’ve treated thousands of patients with the disease of addiction. My primary focus has been on patients with opioid use disorder, and, thankfully, there are effective and long-lasting forms of treatment available. Many individuals suffering from other chronic life-threatening illnesses are less lucky. If you told me that a treatment for diabetes was relatively inexpensive, easy to take, and works nearly all the time, my expectation would be that I would very rarely encounter someone with abnormal blood sugars. However, despite there being a treatment for opioid use disorder that is relatively inexpensive, easy to take, and works most of the time, the opioid-related death rate has been rising.
Addiction is a brain disease that impacts 10 to 15 percent of the population. Individuals with the illness, at their baseline, are uncomfortable. They seek out a specific substance because it is perceived as the only way to address this discomfort. Figuring out how to get people into treatment is the key to reducing the mortality rate. Click here to read more.
