This is an encouraging fact, although a lot of people might not know it. Did you know that there are medical professionals who specialize in addiction care? There are. Many of these people belong to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), an organization of physicians, dentists, physicians assistants, nurses, social workers, researchers, and other professionals who work to understand, treat, and prevent addiction.
Did you notice all of the different types of professions in the ASAM? They illustrate how complex drug addiction and alcohol abuse really are. Substance use disorder is extremely complex. It affects people’s health, behaviors, looks, relationships, jobs, and other aspects of their lives. It’s understandable, then, that many different people work to provide treatment for alcohol abuse and drug addiction.
The ASAM seems like an admirable organization doing useful work, but I’d argue that they should do even more. They should publicize themselves more. They need to let people know that they exist and are working to help. Why? Knowing about these professionals might encourage people that there are people out there who understand their problems and are working extremely hard to solve them. Drug and alcohol abuse can isolate people, but knowing that there is help can be comforting, even if people don’t seek this help right away.
Publicizing ASAM and rehab in general could help humanize people’s perceptions of addiction treatment. We’ve all seen the TV shows and movies of people sweating, shaking, and suffering through detox. But have we seen the counterparts? Have we seen doctors and nurses giving people drugs to help ease these detox symptoms? Have we seen therapists talking with patients to determine why they abuse substances and developing strategies for avoiding them?
While I’m not normally a big fan of commercials or “very special episodes” of television programs, I think that a little publicity about addiction and rehab could help reassure people that rehab isn’t horrible but can be a valuable tool.
