The evolution of addiction treatment

Addiction treatment has changed throughout the years. It’s hard to believe some of the treatments for alcoholism administered decades ago. Here are some.

When I first started to work at Willingway Hospital in Statesboro, an inpatient addiction treatment hospital, treatment had changed drastically. Many in society were beginning to realize that addiction is a comprehensive condition affecting the mind, body and spirit (something Alcoholics Anonymous had been talking about since the 30s). We saw many addicts and their families recover when they received the proper care.

That was in the mid-eighties, and much has changed since then, although much has remained the same. Science has gained a great deal of knowledge regarding brain chemicals and how they affect addiction. We know now that many alcoholics have underlying mental health issues that must be addressed, although those working closely with addicts in the early 20th century knew this from experience, even if they didn’t know the extent of the mental health issues or how they relate to brain chemicals that have been interfered with by years of drug use. In 1987 the American Medical Association designated all drug addiction, including alcoholism, a disease that should be treated as all other diseases by the medical profession —  since then, much improvement has been made.

Even after all the changes, there are still misperceptions regarding addiction. At NewDay Counseling, here in Savannah Ga, we’re working to help addicts recover. It does no good to get mad at alcoholics and drug addicts, or to judge them harshly — the solution is to recover — this hasn’t changed. One thing that we could all improve on is prevention. There are plenty of early warning signs of addiction, and, if the condition is addressed early on, it will not only save much grief and suffering, it will greatly reduce healthcare costs down the road.