Nurse Carol and I were lamenting recently about how
many of our treatment clients are on some kind of medication. One or two take
more than a dozen different meds daily. And while we both agree this is a
terrible situation, we don't have a solution.
Many clients come from other states with prescriptions from
their doctors. Some say they're bipolar. Others say they're depressed.
Some ADHD. Many are taking medications they were prescribed years ago because
someone said they needed them for whatever reason.
Others have high blood pressure, diabetes, and other ailments that do require treatment and medication. And these clients surely do have real problems
When we make the bizarre suggestion that a better diet,
exercise, or quitting smoking might resolve some of these issues they look at
us strangely. While they may agree they
should try these things, none follow through. Maybe it’s because they then would have to admit that they have responsibility for their health.
.And probably the bigger dilemma is how do addicts recover and also use drugs – especially when
some are serious painkillers? And of course, to me, it seems they're on the
road to inevitable relapse. Or perhaps "relapse" is a misnomer, because they really have never stopped using if they're on painkillers. They are progressing - in my opinion - toward another train wreck in their lives.
The nurse and I periodically gripe about a medical system
that has a pill for every ill and has little interest in natural solutions
because those aren't very profitable. There's no money in preventing
sickness and keeping people healthy. However, there's a lot of money in sick
care, surgery, prescriptions, and running tests on people.
While we encourage clients to reduce the
amount of medications they use, only their doctors can get them off of them. And we see little movement in that direction.
