Addiction/ Dissociation/ Coping Skills/ Pharmacology

Started by papillon, December 23, 2015, 07:58:49 PM

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papillon

http://www.radiolab.org/story/addiction/

Listen to this podcast! It's very interesting.

They discuss the use of opioid antagonists in treating alcoholism and drug addiction. Essentially, it takes away the positive response to the substance. The idea being that if you don't feel drunk or high you're less likely to want to use again. It's an attempt to eradicate the pavlovian response.

It just got me thinking... We know that addictions are not about the substance, eating disorders are not about the food, hurting yourself is not about the pain, etc. all these things are coping skills. They give us something to do with the emotions we don't know how to deal with. They create a little relief from the pressures of a life that is altogether too confusing. Whether or not we're using substances or acting on other coping skills, we're still addicts. We're seeking the 'high' of our own opiates that our brains release. We're biological-opiate addicts! What started out as a means of helping us cope morphs into having a life of it's own.

A google search for "dissociation opiates" gives a result for a forum (link below) where self mutliation is treated with the drug mentioned in the podcast.

http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Naltrex-op-self-injurious.html

And another (link below) which states "Treatment with low-dose naltrexone may be a helpful element in the treatment of patients with complex posttraumatic stress disorder. However, it has to be realized that the decrease of dissociation may lead patients to a not yet resolvable challenge, in as much as dissociation had previously been a necessary mechanism of self-protection."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25421416

I'm curious, has anyone ever heard of this or been offered this drug in connection with their mental health? What was your experience with it?

V

hello to papillon - no I was not offered a drug however I sought emdr therapy for ptsd and it worked -

and I would suggest anyone try it - I am a true believer in finding a good having a therapist my therapist must have been an angel since she's disappeared after I started into my good healing period after she gave me the treatment and although I never had to go back to her I can't find her

anyway to make a long story short, her thought process was "find and treat the root of the cause of the pain and then the addiction is no longer needed" - tis true for me in my case

I'm new to this site so I don't know if this is a repeat of information ...

caoi - V


papillon

I'm glad that EMDR worked for you!

I certainly agree that underlying causes have to be addressed as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan. As I said, addictions are symptoms.  I'm not even considering asking for the drug, but I think there may be circumstances where it would be helpful to someone's recovery. Especially if a coping skill has gotten out of control and is running a person's life.

Oakridge

I am not sure if this relates, but there are several studies underway about the use of psychedelic drugs therapeutically in the treatment of PTSD/CPTSD. The studies are somewhat restricted to veterans in order to get approval to use these illegal drugs. Some of these drugs, such as LSD and MDMA, were used in the past in therapeutic settings for psychiatric issues before they became illegal. The studies underway are showing enormous success in treating PTSD/CPTSD, but it will years before these therapies will be available to folks like us. Note, that these drugs should only be used in therapeutic environments with appropriate supports and guidance. using them recreationally can actually make things worse for CPTSD sufferers.

V

I totally agree with it all. Hey, what works for one may work for another just like alternative medicine works where modern medicine fails. It is truly in the brain where we store our emotions and memories and trauma that leads us to "use" to mask the pain of it all ... some are so far gone it is very difficult to bring them back since they don't have a good base starting point to attempt to return to but I am forever hopeful.