Is There a Cure For Alcoholism?

There are many treatments for alcoholism. However, the popular belief and the majority of information over the last few decades has been that there is no permanent cure. Once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. Now however many products have been introduced to the market which claim to be a complete cure for alcoholism. Is there indeed a magic cure?

To accurately evaluate this question one must first decide what defines a cure. Is a person cured once they no longer drink? If so AA has been providing cures for a decades, but AA itself teaches this is not a cure. AA teaches that there is no cure for alcoholism because the person will always have the urge to drink. Is a cure then when one has no urge to drink? Is a cured alcoholic capable of ever drinking again or is a cured alcoholic one who never drinks again? Without answers to these questions it is difficult to determine whether there is a known cure for alcoholism.

There is now a shot called Vivitro that alcoholics can take once a month to combat the physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings of a recovering alcoholic. The shot is used in conjunction with ongoing therapy which is meant to combat the psychological problems causing the depression and drinking. This claims to be a cure for many alcoholics, but doctors are careful to warn that this medicine is not suitable for all patients. Furthermore, one must wonder if a person who is forced to take a shot every month and attend weekly counseling in order to remain sober is truly cured. It seems to be more of an extended treatment plan than a cure. Would a true cure not allow a person to return to normal life?

Another program that claims to be a cure for alcoholism works by altering the chemistry of the brain and turning on the same feel good reaction that alcohol produces without the alcohol. This is done through the use of herbs and vitamins. Interestingly, this "cure" does not promise to stop the alcoholic from drinking. In fact, this program promises that the person will in the end be capable of social drinking without addiction. This is a controversial program as it chemically alters the brain. If it produces the same effects in the brain as alcohol might it not cause the same dangerous effects of brain damage? It has been proven that people can and do become addicted to their own endorphins and often as an effect they become unable to truly experience joy. This program has yet to be backed by the medical community but in a case study was found to have at least decreased the amount of drinking in most of their clients. Does this constitute a cure? If the patients were truly cured would they still have the urge to drink?

If there is a true cure for alcoholism it seems that the cure too has negative side effects. Also, the alcoholic seems to always have an urge to continue drinking no matter which "cure" is used as treatment. As such, abstinence from drinking seems to still be the best therapy. AA seems to be correct in their belief that an alcoholic is never truly cured but simply recovering or in remission.

By : Stanford Smith