Addiction Treatment and Ethics

From time to time I’ll use this book , The Book of Ethics: Expert Guidance For Professionals Who Treat Addiction,  to discuss meta issues regarding addiction treatment. Most fields of endeavors have their code of ethics. In addiction treatment, ethics are of paramount concern. Here’s an excerpt:

Policymakers, society, and people with addiction struggle with

competing and often conflicting models of addiction, whether

seen as disease, crime, personal weakness, genetic determinism, or

a hybrid of all the above. At the heart of these contemporary

debates are ethical questions as ancient as philosophy: free will

versus responsibility, choice versus determinism, treatment versus

punishment. But a modern understanding and a new paradigm

for care are now possible. Emerging neurobiological evidence

illuminates the circuits and transmitters involved in craving and

reward, dependence and withdrawal, and the genetic precursors

to addiction itself. With greater understanding of the biological

basis of addiction and substance use disorders, we may now begin

to make some progress in this field, particularly from an ethical

perspective.

Even though much new neurobiological information is available, we’re still faced with the human experience of addiction and how each individual responds to treatment. It’s good for the client to know that science is discovering causes for addiction, but recovery is about more than knowledge of causes. Taking the shame out of addiction  treatment is a giant step forward — then providing safe confidential care helps build confidence and trust. When professionals act unethically it destroys trust, and recovery is not likely. This book is a great guide for gaining better understanding of ethics in treatment.