Addiction, The Disease of the Latter 20th Century

The purpose of this essay is to acquaint the reader with the “elephant in the living room”, i.e., the disease of addiction. Addiction, or its secondary manifestations, represents the most common cause of suffering and death in this country today. This idea, however,...

The Disease Concept of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

During the course of my career as a general internist, I have come to believe that 80% of illnesses are lifestyle induced and 20% are the result of bad genes, bad luck, or a bad infection. My job is to ask myself whether or not the patient sitting in front of me is an...

Medications to Control Cravings

During the early part of recovery, from alcoholism or addiction, the patient may experience extreme cravings, which can lead to recurrent drug or alcohol abuse. A variety of medications exist which, when used appropriately in early recovery, can decrease the amount of...