Op-Ed: Changing how we view medications for alcoholism would reduce stigma, aid recovery

When I was a kid growing up in suburban America, as the youngest of seven, I listened a lot. There was always some activity going on in our household. One summer evening, I remember my parents were getting ready to go to a party at a friend’s house. And of course, I was listening as they discussed whether they should bring alcohol to the party since it was a B.Y.O.B. That was odd for their circle of friends, but as I listened, I learned about a thing called Antabuse.

Apparently, one of their friends had stopped drinking alcohol because he was an alcoholic and was taking this Antabuse thing. From what I gathered; it helped him to not drink alcohol. I really never gave it a second thought after that but occasionally would hear about other family friends who stopped drinking. I would hear my parents wonder whether they were taking Antabuse since it worked so well for their other friend.

Fast forward 20 years later and I found myself in the thick of the substance use world, facilitating groups and individual sessions for adults who were very much like my parents’ friend. I was using those listening skills again. Back then, it was much more common for folks to be given a prescription for Antabuse to help them in their recovery efforts. There was also another drug on the market, ReVia, that our medical director would prescribe to our clients. It was very different from Antabuse but very effective in helping to curb cravings for alcohol. Eventually, Campral was introduced to the market as another drug that aided in the recovery efforts for those with an alcohol use disorder.

Today, there are several medications on the market that have the sole purpose of aiding people in their recovery efforts from alcohol and other drugs. The problem is that since we have been amid an opioid epidemic, we only hear about prescribed medications that curb the desire for opioids. We rarely, if at all, hear about people being prescribed Antabuse or ReVia or Campral. Our focus has totally shifted because of the opioid epidemic, and I wonder, are we doing a disservice to individuals who suffer from an alcohol use disorder? If, in conjunction with counseling, these medications are effective in treating the disease of alcoholism, why have we shifted our focus away from prescribing these meds?

Addiction has long been considered a disease by the American Medical Association. As such, we need to work to reduce the stigma of addiction or substance use and this means promoting the use of these medications that aid in recovery efforts. The name alone promotes the stigmatization of their use; they are known as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). This name suggests that these drugs are assisting with treatment, not a viable treatment, in and of themselves. We would never consider a medication prescribed for diabetes as some type of treatment assistance. No, it is a form of treatment, all by itself. Period. It’s not an “option.” MAT is presented as an option when in some instances, it really shouldn’t be optional but should be presented as a life-saving medication. Don’t get me wrong. MAT is not for everyone. As a longtime professional in the field and as a person in recovery myself, I believe that everyone should be given a choice about the decision to go on any form of MAT.

Perhaps if we start to do our part to reduce the stigma of addiction, we will see a resurgence of the use of MAT for those with an alcohol use disorder. Perhaps if we focus on the recovery from a substance use disorder and not on the blaming and shaming of past history, we can get to a place where we see more people who are willing to make use of the medications available to help treat their substance use condition. Perhaps we can actively promote the use of MAT for alcohol use disorders so much so that it isn’t an uncommon phenomenon to hear about it anymore.

I know I’m an optimistic dreamer. But I do believe that if we lived by the adage that is often heard in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, “Live and let live”, we would reduce stigmatization, encourage recovery in whatever form it takes and reduce the harm caused by substance use.

If you’re interested in learning more about Medication Assisted Treatment, please go to the SAMHSA website at www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment or the SUD page on the Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania website at www.magellanofpa.com/for-providers/community/substance-use-disorder-sud-resources/.

If you or a friend have a substance use disorder and would like help, please call the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357). If you are a Pennsylvania resident seeking care, please go to www.treatmentatlas.org/ to find help.

Anita Kelly is a clinical contract advisor at Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania. She lives in Lehigh County.

This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Op-Ed: Fresh take on medications for alcoholism would promote recovery