Word: drugged
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They call it "the switch." Alcoholics who take an anticraving medication called baclofen say the drug allows them to resist the most powerful triggers of relapse: former drinking buddies, a favorite bar, the sight of alcohol or even the most potent drinking cue of all, having a single drink...
...powerful anticraving effect, however, and two large, randomized controlled trials of high doses of baclofen are under way. Meanwhile, more and more American doctors are prescribing baclofen for their alcoholic patients, based on experiences like Ameisen's. And yet even if the apparent anti-addiction benefits of the drug - which is currently approved by the government to treat muscle spasms - are borne out in human trials, it might do little to persuade most American addiction-treatment providers to use it. (Read "Can Amphetamines Help Cure Cocaine Addiction...
...issue is the definition of treatment. In the U.S., successful treatment of addiction has traditionally been an all-or-nothing undertaking, involving complete abstinence - as promulgated by supporters of 12-step programs like AA - rather than a regimen of moderation. For many, that definition includes abstinence even from drugs that would help fight cravings. Indeed, for decades, experts have debated whether drug addicts who cannot or will not quit should even be offered ongoing treatments that would reduce harm related to their drug abuse. Although many providers have recently become more open to new options, the majority of American addiction...
...that often too easily slides into rationalizations for acts that cannot be rationalized, with the idea that the end justifies the means. Here we are raising money for charitable institutions, and therefore we're allowed to cut corners." Halevi adds, "There have been other examples in the past of drug-running happening under cover of certain religious institutions here. There have been too many examples of abuse in the past...
...public option could. The legislation includes provisions for a public plan, but such an approach would be triggered only if the co-op plan doesn't prove to work in certain states or locales - a backup model based on President George W. Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. Many wonder if that will garner enough votes in the Senate, since it will most likely lose votes from both ends of the spectrum...