Dan Green
Critical Thought Report #2
4-10-14

IMMUNIZATION AGAINST ADDICTON
Since drugs are and have been around us since the beginning and we have a natural weakness since our brain makes natural drugs that are similar to the ones we are tempted to use, and since our society is leaning more and more in the direction to where drug and substance use is classified as a disease instead of just bad behavior that is looked upon as a crime and leads to incarceration, I feel some kind of defense mechanism such as immunization is inevitable! Even in the article, it is admitted that doctors are baffled why some people can quit on their own while others can’t quit at all! So a new form of treatment should be inevitable! My concern is the possible side effects, legal and safety issues, and long term concerns involved. I personally feel that once an immunization is deemed “safe”, the people that feel a slave to this disease and addiction will welcome an opportunity to again be normal. Others, who have accepted their fate, this lifestyle, whatever, will spend the rest of their life chasing a high that can never be achieved.
Though I do not see this ever becoming a mandatory alternative, if established I do see the court systems and judges use this tool to their discression and to their advantage. I would think if I am looking at jail time and fines or agreeing to medical programs, there is no choice and the medical programs win hands down.
I also think that it has been established that just saying “NO” after being introduced to drugs is not an option. With an 80% relapse on abstinence based programs established, we are looking at alternative drug replacement therapy as we speak. Using “harm reduction” programs now is still producing better results than abstinence programs; and immunization is just a form of drug replacement.
Dealing with Pharmacological modalities in drug/alcohol abuse treatment, due to the very definition of addiction, there is no personal choice or willpower involved in taking the drug. The positive side of harm reduction drugs is first they don’t kill you. They remove the cravings, they are less harmful, someone else regulates the dosage and they are not illegal. Based on the brain chemistry of the individual who uses, their brains reflect a 60% free brain scan after a two year program
Different drugs affect the brain reward system differently. Whether it’s agonist verses antagonist or active immunization compared to passive immunization, procedures, doses, and different alternatives may vary. The constant in this is that all the medical attention in the world won’t eliminate drug addiction. The key to quitting is having the desire, and the will, to quit. That’s where personal choice is a needed element for client recovery.