Why Incarceration Is Not the Solution to the Opioid-Addiction Epidemic

By Aaron Fox, M.D., M.S. Finally, Democrats and Republicans have agreed that reducing prison sentences should be a priority, especially for nonviolent drug offenses. It's common sense that people with substance-use disorders should be offered addiction treatment as an alternative to incarceration. But what if they can't stop using drugs? They still don't belong in prison. Incarceration Undermines Recovery Incarceration is destabilizing and can set people back in their addiction recovery. In low-income communities, it leads to housing instability and unemployment, and strains the relationships with families necessary for recovery. Incarceration may also disrupt addiction treatment, which is like suspending a kid from school for truancy, thereby guaranteeing that child won't get the attention he or she needs. And without appropriate treatment, formerly incarcerated individuals die at a frighteningly high rate when released. In the two weeks following release from prison, a person's risk of death from drug overdose is 129 times greater than that for the general population. Addiction as a Chronic Illness I am a primary care physician specializing in treatment of opioid-use disorder -- addiction to heroin or prescription painkillers such as Percocet or OxyContin. My patients may have started using opioids for the euphoric effects, or "high," but by the time they become addicted, they are physically dependent on opioids just to feel normal and avoid painful withdrawal. Brain ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news