Newsweek Examines Addiction Recovery of Drug, Alcohol Users

In a special report this week, Newsweek explores the "war on drugs" and the science of addiction and recovery. Following is a summary of the articles:

• "The War on Addiction" by Jonathan Alter: Although "revolutions" such as drug legalization or eradication are "pipe dreams," some states are making progress in handling drug problems by offering more treatment options and employing "drug courts." Drug addiction, Alter writes, "is increasingly being viewed more as a disease than a crime." This "relatively peaceful interlude" in U.S. drug history means that policy makers and public health officials have the "rare chance to rethink old approaches" to both drugs and alcohol.
• "How It All Starts in Your Brain" by Sharon Begley: Through MRI and Pet scans, neuroscientists have gained new insight into what happens in the brain during highs and lows of drug and alcohol use, why withdrawal can be "unbearable" and how symptoms of addiction can last long after individuals stop abusing. Scientists now believe that addictive drugs alter the brain's pleasure circuits, producing a "feel-good sensation." Furthermore, chronic use produces "enduring changes," most importantly reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the brain, making it harder to achieve a pleasurable sensation. At that point, users increase their doses.
• "New Ways to Stay Clean" by Geoffrey Cowley: Beating addiction is difficult and the risk of relapse is high, but "with medication and intensive, long term support, even the most inveterate abuser can succeed." Methadone and naltrexone are two medications that help heroin users battle their addiction; however, stigma and side effects prevent these treatments from being widely used. A third -- buprenorphine -- might soon receive federal approval and could "double the number of heroin addicts receiving treatment" because doctors can directly prescribe it. Researchers also have started work on a vaccine that might block cocaine's effects.
• "Can this Pill Stop You from Hitting the Bottle?" by Claudia Kalb: Although medications that help alcoholics control the urge to drink are "forging a new direction" in treatment, some recovering alcoholics and other experts say "there are no shortcuts ... to staying sober." But advocates of medication say that effects are moderate and intended only for use in combination with counseling or support. Furthermore, medications serve as an alternative for those "who've failed traditional counseling."
• "The War on Drugs Goes to the Air" by Devin Gordon: Antidrug messages played out in commercials on television are "hitting [their] mark," as evidenced by many studies showing that the messages "have significantly reduced usage among children in every age group." Antidrug groups plan to target ecstacy in their next campaign.
• "Robert Downey Jr. Takes One Day at a Time" by David France and John Horn: Actor Downey's battle with substance abuse had "touched a compassionate nerve in America" and the actor "has come to symbolize the addictive personality itself: charming, wily and self-destructive." People "want him to succeed ... not just for Downey's good but as a victory for the human spirit."