Western medicine’s traditional approach to substance abuse treatment could use an update. With 19.7 million American adults battling a substance abuse disorder in 2017, it is no wonder why this is so important. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that 74% of those 19.7 million struggled with alcohol abuse and 38% of them with illicit drug use. Since substance abuse costs American society more than $740 billion annually, it is important that treatments are swift and effective.
Typically, substance abuse treatment involves a combination of in-patient care—for severe cases, regular psychotherapy sessions and prescribing pharmaceutical medications. In-patient care provides a safe environment to detoxify, ridding the body of all extra substances and making the painful withdrawal process more comfortable. After this, once patients leave the hospital, they are encouraged to join programs to ensure their sobriety continues.
Those who wish to remain sober usually attend regular cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. Here, they learn how to rationalize and separate issues into small, realistic and actionable pieces. This makes it possible for them to navigate through their addictive behavior without relinquishing control of their health, and in some cases, their lives. Those who struggle with an addiction due to psychological issues—to escape troublesome situations, memories, or environments—may benefit the most from this.
Sometimes, though, there is no obvious psychological reason for an addiction. When such a situation occurs, failing to receive adequate treatment could result in a relapse. In these cases especially, alternative or newer treatment options become critically important to ensure successful recovery.
One promising alternative, which has been used medically for sedation since the 1970’s, is ketamine. Recent studies have shown the intravenous (IV) anesthetic to be an effective treatment for things like depression and substance use disorders due to its unique effects on the brain. This, in combination with antidepressants and other medications offers patients the rare opportunity to receive both immediate and long-term benefits from their treatment. Antidepressants—which require a daily dose and a few weeks to build up the system—attempt to offset damage in the brain by promoting serotonin production. Meanwhile, ketamine—which does not have to be taken daily—blocks NMDA receptors and repairs damaged neural connections, thereby reducing depressive symptoms in just a few hours.
New research shows that ketamine affects memory formation. Specifically, it promotes the growth of dendritic spines in the prefrontal cortex, which are associated with the creation of memories—and that are believed to be compromised in those who have addiction issues. With ketamine, patients could have an opportunity to easily form new memories to replace their old addictive behaviors. There is still much more research to be done about the potential use of ketamine to treat alcoholism and addiction before it becomes available, but the potential for new hope is promising—and much needed.
Contact restoratIV Ketamine Wellness Centers
restoratIV Ketamine is Mississippi’s leading provider of ketamine infusions for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders. Request a free phone consultation today to learn if you are a candidate for ketamine infusion therapy.
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