Beating Illicit Drug Addiction
Illicit drug addiction is not a brain disease according to psychiatrists and psychologists that are involved in curing addicts.
Shame can play a positive role in motivating many otherwise reluctant illicit drug addicts to seek drug rehabilitation.
Drug addiction is not hopeless and self governance is the key to the most promising treatments for addiction.
Drug courts should hold an addict accountable for their behavior in rehabilitation setbacks or progress.
Drug courts can sanction addicts for continued drug use and reward addicts that cooperate with drug rehabilitation programs.
(Source:"Addiction is not a Brain Disease", 25 July 2007 available at www.slate.com/id/2171131/)
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-
Australia needs a system of court ordered and supervised illicit drug detoxification followed by rehabilitation for any person that uses an illicit drug.
Courts can use a system of rewards and punishments to divert users into programs clearly focused on getting them off drugs.
Personal shame and stigma can be successfully used to influence a drug user to seek rehabilitation.
Australia must now act to introduce effective compulsory detoxification and rehabilitation to reduce the demand for all illicit drugs.
Lets ditch harm minimization for world's best practice.
THE DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS-
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
42/2007
