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Opioid Addiction Persuasive Essay

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In the public debate concerning the United States’ growing opioid overdose epidemic, a controversial issue has arisen over the effectiveness of anti-craving medications in treating opioid addiction. Many addiction treatment programs argue that medications such as Methadone and Buprenorphine are not only ineffective in treating opioid addiction, but that they should also be considered equally as addictive as opioids themselves. However, Maia Szalavitz, the author of the “Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction” contends that using an anti-craving medication is necessary for treating opioid addiction because it benefits patients by reducing the risk of relapse or overdose. These medications also increase the probability that the patient will remain in treatment and is able to overcome their addiction (Szalavitz). Ms. Szalavitz believes that anti-craving medications should be implemented in all treatment programs because they do not elicit a “high” when taken regularly and …show more content…

It has become vitally important for all U.S. citizens to be made aware of this epidemic, and to be informed on the highly addictive traits that accompany any form of opioid or opiate. As well, there are many growing problems facing opioid addicts and how to go about treating individuals who are seeking help for their addiction, mainly due to the controversies concerning MAT or Medically-Assisted Treatment. Ms. Szalavitz writes “The Wrong Way to Treat Opioid Addiction” to argue towards the effectiveness on MAT, and how patients struggling with addiction may require more than just abstinence to fully recover. She wants anyone reading her Op-Ed to be made aware of the importance of MAT and to shed light on its necessity in helping to overcome our nation’s

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