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A pile of Suboxone pills, a type of medicine used to treat heroine addicts.

For over a decade, the medical community has debated whether addiction is more of a mental problem that can be treated with talk therapy, spirituality and 12-step programs, or more of a physical problem, like diabetes, that requires continuing medical treatment and perhaps even medication. The 90’s were the “decade of the brain,” until the success of medications like Suboxone—used to treat heroin addicts—made treating addiction look less like a matter for willpower and more like a matter for medical intervention. There’s no silver bullet, but increasingly, medical schools are carving out curriculum space to look at the many variations of addiction in the first accredited residency programs. Physicians describe it as a sea-change in attitude from the nineties, but say the medical profession is at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to recognizing the potential it can play in recovery. There’s also pushback from those who run or successfully completed twelve-step and other rehab programs without medical treatment. If you or someone you know has struggled with addiction, what worked for you?

Guest:

Gary Fisher, psychologist with Authentic Recovery Centers, a 12 step-based program

Dr. Keith Heinzerling, assistant clinical professor, department in the UCLA Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry