Whats the worst type of addiction–alcohol, prescription drugs, or narcotics?
They’re equally bad. Drug use involves more legal problems. We’re seeing more prescription-drug addiction. We need to educate doctors better. We’re doing that at Georgetown. Yesterday I taught second-year psychiatry residents about addiction. The best way to teach this is by bringing in a highly functional alcoholic or addict who’s been okay for a few years. After she tells her story, the residents say “Wow!” We send our entire first-year medical-school class–some 165 students–to AA meetings around town. The best way for future doctors to learn about the disease is from the real experts. And those are found at AA meetings. What works for recovery? A Twelve Step program is essential. Alcoholics and addicts need other people to help their recovery. They can’t do it alone or with just a counselor. A recovering alcoholic knows the tricks better than I can ever know them. He can tell when someone in the group is lying or pulling a fast one. And seeing someone who’s stayed sober–through t
