ALCOHOLISM AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

There was an article on the Internet today (April 15, 2009) that said a new drug, naltrexone will soon replace the need for alcohol rehab because this “miracle” med takes away the craving for alcohol. No more need for 12 steps, no meetings, no sponsor and for goodness sake, you never ever have to say The Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.” I say, “Hogwash.”

Dr. Mark Willenbring, Director of the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse believes that another miracle drug, topiramate (topamax) will decrease the need to drink alcoholically as well. All of this sounds like those commercials for drugs which are required by law to reveal side-effects; you know like ‘this drug will prolong and improve your sexual potency but it also may cause cancer, renal failure and your erection may cause discomfort if it lasts several hours.’ As far as alcoholism is concerned, using pharmacology to diminish the bad affects of alcoholic drinking may also take away his courage to change the things he can: himself and the zillion reasons he is a 24-carat drunk in the first place.

As a recovering alcohol, sober 29 years, I am reminded daily that alcohol is but a symptom of my disease—it is what drove me to drink—anger, rage, resentments, fear, anxiety, low self-esteem and a myriad of other dysfunctions—that I must conquer in order to stay sober. It is like choosing to take heart medication rather than lose weight and exercise to get healthier. We are living in a world of quick-fixes and the longer, tougher more responsible method—like finding a spiritual program to eliminate why we drank alcoholically—makes more sense. In the early 80’s when I was sobering up, Antebuse was a drug that would make a person violently ill if he drank alcohol. Very few people ever stayed sober with the retching, gut-wrenching effects of Antebuse.

If you are having a problem with alcohol—about to lose the love and affection of your family, on the precipice of divorce, or about to lose or have lost a job due to alcoholism—I recommend you make it tougher going into recovery—going to meetings and letting God change your life inside out—rather than popping one of the new fangled meds to stop the craving.