Читать книгу The End of addiction - Dr Volker Hitzeroth - Страница 4

Over recent years I have felt the need to share some of the knowledge that I have acquired during my career as a psychiatrist working in the field of drug and alcohol addictions. I wanted others to benefit from the understanding and experience that I have gathered over the years.

The drug and alcohol field is a notoriously neglected psychiatric subspeciality. It usually ranks as a lower priority for funding and remains much stigmatised in the eyes of the general public. As a result, not much is known about drugs and alcohol, their physiological effect on the brain and the treatment of associated conditions. Making this knowledge generally available will hopefully be of practical help to those who abuse drugs and alcohol, their families and to healthcare professionals working in this field. It is my hope that the information in this book will empower those affected by such addictions to find their way to recovery.

Drug- and alcohol-related problems have been around since humankind began to ingest mind-altering substances, and they are likely to remain with us for a very long time to come. Recent evidence suggests that in certain parts of the world, drug- and alcohol-related problems are becoming more prevalent, more severe and are increasingly affecting younger people. Given ongoing changes in our society, in drug-use patterns and our medical understanding of drugs, alcohol and their associated problems, the field of addictions is likely to change over time.

Although scientific research (also known as the medical evidence base) for drug- and alcohol-related problems has increased in the last few years, much uncertainty still remains. It is this lack of certainty that often leads to alternative or unsafe treatment practices. I will therefore explain generally accepted treatment principles. Although a subspeciality as recent and controversial as addictions may well attract numerous different approaches and opinions, it is imperative to remain within the scope of safe and effective medical practice.

In order to make this book accessible to as many people as possible, I have attempted to provide a mainstream overview of the subject as well as to keep the text and style easy to read and understand. Accordingly, I will not be highlighting the latest research developments and scientific controversies, as these will (as yet) have little impact on the practical clinical situation in homes and offices. I will also try to demystify issues relating to addictions and their treatment.

Sources of information

The content of this book is not based on personal research or primary scientific articles, but has been collated from various secondary sources. A list of the books and articles that I have consulted appears at the end of the book. Anybody who has a deeper interest in drugs, alcohol, addictions and their treatment may wish to consult these sources.

Terminology

Whilst I have used various terms that reflect a predominance of the male gender, this should not be interpreted as meaning the field of drugs and alcohol is dominated by men. Indeed, wherever I have used the masculine term, it is meant to include the feminine. For the sake of simplicity and ease of understanding the terms “drug”, “alcohol” and “chemical substance”, as well as “user”, “patient”, “client”, “addict” and “dependant” are used interchangeably in this book. Yet it should be emphasised that in strict scientific literature these terms do have very distinct and different meanings. For example, when using the term “addict”, it is done for ease of reading, rather than implying a value-laden or judgmental connotation.

Non-discriminatory

Drug and alcohol problems do not discriminate. They occur in good and bad families as well as in happily married couples; they happen to the rich and the poor; to single divorced parents, to the young and the old, and to men and women alike. In short, they can happen to you and me; they can affect your family and my family. Also, drug- and alcohol-related problems are not “your” or “my” problems: they are “our” problems. You and I individually will have little impact on preventing or alleviating such problems, but together we can make a difference. The first step is to become as informed as possible about drugs, alcohol and their related problems.