Imagine the tragedy of 9/11 occurring 21 times…. Every year…. For decades. Every single citizen, old or young, will personally join the military or pressure the government to defeat this threat. That is the reality of Substance abuse disorder. In 2016 alone 21 times more people died of drug overdose than in the attacks of September 11. However, the stigma and misinformation towards addicts and addiction remain strong today despite the tremendous financial and human loss. Addiction lacks proper long-lasting cures and relapse is almost guaranteed. One of the main reasons for the lack of a cure is because, by the general public the disease is misinterpreted as a moral flaw in the addict and by scientists, a fault in the neurological structures of the brain. Addiction is commonly viewed through a purely physical lens, but overlooked mental factors, such as trauma repression, points the way to treatment through Ayahuasca-assisted psychotherapy.
Addiction, as defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, “is a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence” (Parekh). It can lead to a tremendous loss in the quality of life of the victim, ranging from unemployment, acquiring deadly diseases to becoming homeless, or even dying from violence or overdose. According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.5 million people aged 12 or older have had a substance use disorder. Of the 21.5 million, 17 million had an alcohol addiction, 7.1 million had an illegal drug use addiction, and 2.6 million people suffered from both alcohol and illegal drug use addiction (2). Furthermore, the cost of substance abuse on the U.S economy exceeds $740 Billion per year as a result of addiction-related crimes, health care, and loss in work productivity, nonetheless, modern medicine and treatments do not provide an adequate solution to this growing epidemic. The relapse rate of post-addiction treatments is from 40% to 60%. One of the many reasons why this disease is not properly cured is because of the stigma attached to addiction for so long.
Mankind has recreationally consumed drugs for thousands of years, wine in Ancient Egypt for example, and marijuana in Ancient China, hence, addiction to such and more lethal substances is not abnormal. However, addiction has not officially been declared a disease until 1987. The media’s sensationalism and negative stigma towards the disease cause many to believe that addiction is a choice and a moral flaw in the victim.
An online study, conducted by Psychiatric services, showed that 63% of participants believed discrimination is not a major problem against drug addicts; also, 49% were opposed to increasing government spending on treatment and 90% were unwilling to accept a drug addict marrying into the family. The initial intake of drugs is indeed a choice, however, past that point, it is not in the hands of the user to stop. Brain-imaging studies of substance abusers show physical alterations in areas of the brain that are critical for judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior control.
The current most widely accepted theory of addiction is known as the Brain Disease Model of Addiction.
Adopted in 1997, it was the first model that treated addiction as a real disease and not a consequence of the “devil’s work”. Alan I. Leshner, a Ph.D. Psychologist and an initiator of the model, explains “Although each drug that has been studied has some idiosyncratic mechanisms of action, virtually all drugs of abuse have common effects, either directly or indirectly, on a single pathway deep within the brain… Not only does acute drug use modify brain function in critical ways, but prolonged drug use causes pervasive changes in brain function that persist long after the individual stops taking the drug” (2). Dr. Leshner is stating that after decades of addiction research, there is clear evidence that it is caused by modifications in the brain’s reward system. The model illustrates that once users ingest illicit substances, their brain releases a flood of pleasure hormones know as dopamine and then associates that substance with satisfaction and reward, forming a conditioned response. After multiple uses, it is ingrained deep inside the human brain, which makes relapse almost guaranteed.
Although this is a far superior model to the previous theories, it is still not complete. The model does not explain why childhood trauma exponentially increases the probability of addiction. Furthermore, the model also lacks an answer for why relapse occurs when the addiction is treated with pharmaceutical drugs and the brain chemistry is restored to its pre-addiction state. In my opinion, the other portion of the answer is that addiction is not merely a brain disorder, it is also a mental disorder.
A misconception about addiction is that anyone that takes drugs will be addicted after a certain period of time because of its ability to alter neurological structures. This is not necessarily true, for example, the drug diamorphine, commonly known as Heroin, is regularly administered to patients as a painkiller in the United Kingdom, yet, patients rarely come out as addicts. This completely contradicts the Brain Disease Model of Addiction. Why would patients not become addicted to heroin if, merely, the consumption of a drug is all it takes for addiction to trigger. With more and more evidence emerging, it is becoming very clear that one’s mental health has a much more impact on one’s probability of becoming an addict than one’s degree of drug consumption. A 2015 study in the Journal of, Social work Practice in the Addictions, explores the rate of mental trauma in Native American, Latino, and White American drug addicts. The study discovered that
“All [the aformentioned] racial and ethnic groups were exposed to parental difficulties as a child. The Native American, Latino, and White participants had similarly substantial proportions who were abandoned by their parents (41.7%, 44.6%, and 33.6%, respectively) with the highest percentage among Latinos” (Stevens,11).
Meaning, patients with substance abuse disorder developed an addiction because of some form of childhood trauma. During the developmental stages of a child, if a child feels neglected by their parents or experiences divorce, they are less likely to develop a proper healthy mind and thus are more susceptible to addiction.
Another example that proves that drug addiction is a mental disease is in the case of Vietnam veterans. During the Vietnam war, drugs such as Heroin were widely available and cheap to purchase hence a large portion of the U.S soldiers smoked Heroin. Lee Robins, Professor of social science in psychiatry, states:
“In Vietnam, the use of heroin was especially common (35%) among Army enlisted men who had arrived in Vietnam in 1970 and returned to the United States in September 1971” (1054).
Heroin use among soldiers was so common that the US government became concerned with veterans coming back home as addicts. The state department assembled a team of researchers to study the addiction rates in incoming soldiers and surprisingly found that, of the 35% of soldiers who used Heroin regularly in Vietnam only 19% went into relapse in the US (Robin, 203). More interestingly, the 19% of soldiers who did relapse had a history of non-opiate illicit drug usage, friends that used drugs regularly, and many displayed antisocial behaviors such as getting drunk, fighting, and dropping out of school (Robins, 1058). A common cause of anti-social behavior and dropping out of school is the lack of a person’s mental development as a result of their environment, which contributes to the advancement towards addiction.
The problem with incorrectly perceiving addiction goes beyond misperception, it influences policy. Countries around the world have passed vicious laws punishing addicts and above all make the issue worse. In the United States, 65% of inmates suffer from drug addiction and only 11% receive rehab (The National Health). In the Philippines, the president has ordered its citizens to murder people’s children if they are addicted to drugs. These are just some of the examples of mistreatments, of substance abusers. Drug addiction has been punished, because of misconception for decades, yet substance abuse rates are through the roof and still growing, inside the US.
The one county that decided to relinquish its false perception of addiction, Portugal, turned its drug addiction epidemic around in less than 10 years. At the end of the ’90s, Portugal was hit with a drug epidemic; HIV rates and death tolls were increasing rapidly, and Jails were flooded with substance abusers. The Portugal government tried all forms of deterrence punishment, however, the problem still insisted. To reverse the harm and rid its county of addiction Portugal decided to decriminalize all drugs, meaning if one was caught with a certain number of drugs about the legal limit, he was sent to the counsel of doctors and psychologists instead of Jail. As a result of this new approach to addiction, Portugal's HIV rates have gone from 1,482 in 2000 to 40 in 2014(Desiree). Furthermore, the rate of criminal substance users (users that are involved with the police as a result of their drug habits) has also decreased by 10% since 2000(Desiree).
The initial step of fixing the same issue inside the United States should be identical — changing our perception towards addiction and substance abusers. Only then, can we move on and focus on a working treatment that increases addicts' quality of life and their reintegration into society.
One method, which some might find unorthodox, to curing drug addiction is through the use of plant-based psychedelic medicine. Psychedelic drugs are substances whose main purpose is to alter the cognition and perception of people who take them. Psychedelic medications have been used for thousands of years by multiple different cultures for treating various forms of mental conditions. For example, the Native Americans used mescaline (a Psychoactive drug) that contained cacti to treat alcoholism. Furthermore, the Psilocybin mushroom has been used by multiple indigenous cultures to treat depression.
Psychedelic came to the attention of the mainstream public during the 1960s after they were used in treating psychological conditions. Despite their useful antidepressant properties, Psychedelic drugs were banned by the federal government because of their widespread usage and their symbol of rebellion. However, studies conducted between the 1960s and 1970s proved that psychedelics are more than just party drugs or hallucinogens. Specific psychedelics gives users the ability to release suppressed memories and confront childhood traumas resolving many mental disorders — one being addiction.
One famous psychoactive drug known for curing substance addiction is Ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca is a plant mixture, prepared from the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and leaves of the bush Psychotria Viridis, that when consumed induces a different stage of consciousness. Eddie Frecska, the Chief of Department at the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Budapest, Hungary claims
“Ayahuasca-induced insights facilitate self-reflection, producing changes in self-perspectives that can trigger psychodynamics insights which provide solutions to personal problems that underlie maladaptive lifestyles” (NCBI).
Meaning when taken under the supervision of an expert and properly managed, it can lead to the resurfacing of unconscious feelings, old memory, and a different mindset. Ayahuasca ceremony retreats exist in South American countries like Peru, to assist addicts with overcoming their addictions. Although there are not any official clinical studies conducted inside the United States, to test the effectiveness of Ayahuasca - due to their ban - the overwhelming number of personal testimonies admit that it has altered their lives for the better and help them overcome addiction.
In spite of their countless beneficial properties, Psychedelic such as Ayahuasca are illegal in the United States and worse labeled schedule I drugs; meaning they do not offer any medicinal benefits. There are countless personal testimonies, of people whose lives have changed by the proper use of psychedelics, and multiple studies from the 1960s to 1970s contradicted its schedule I status, yet they are still illegal in the United States.
Since our current pharmaceutical drugs do not perform for a very long time and relapse occurs when one merely sees the drug they were addicted to, it is in our best interest to legalizes and pursue further research into Psychedelics. The U.S government should also fund public Ayahuasca retreats in addiction hit areas, where homeless drug addicts can go to receive real help and become part of society once again. Besides the addiction control, there is also a large financial incentive for the government to legalize Ayahuasca; By taxing the drug, states can generate ample capital for investment, which will lower the cost of healthcare and increase the pool of productive labor force for the united states.
For a very long time, the condition of addicts and addiction has been misunderstood to the detriment of substance abusers and society. Prior to 1997, addiction was considered to be caused by a lack of morals in the addict and a choice, and post-1997, it was labeled as a brain disease. Both theories are not completely sufficient and true because treatments constructed based on those perspectives have a very low success rate. The overwhelming amount of evidence displays that addiction is caused by mental trauma, specifically suppress childhood trauma. A potential precise and long-lasting treatment for addiction is the drinking of Ayahuasca plant brew, in a supervised setting combined with psychotherapy. The ayahuasca brew triggers purging of internal trauma and neurosis in its users and if used properly is known for completely eradicating addiction to lethal drugs such as Cocaine, Crack, Heroin, and many more.
References:
Parekh, Ranna. “What is Addiction.” American Psychiatric Association. January 2017.
NIDA. “Trends & Statistics.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24 Apr. 2017.
