CUPERTINO, Calif., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chief Clinical Officer of the nation's largest treatment provider, CRC Health Group's Dr. Philip Herschman, said that "Today's New York Times article, "Rethinking Addiction's Roots, and Its Treatment," gets it right: substance abuse is a chronic disease. For years, CRC Health Group, the nation's largest substance abuse treatment provider, has had as a central message, "My addiction is a disease," encouraging people to seek help (website www.crchealth.com, phone 877-637-6237). Substance abuse has been treated in an acute treatment model rather than a chronic disease treatment model for too long-it deserves open attention by medical professionals with a disease management view like diabetes and cancer."
Herschman continued, "The use of pharmaceuticals is a very important part of managing this disease. Buprenorphine/suboxone is one good option but methadone has been a very successful modality and remains a very powerful alternative. Also, a new tool, a monthly application of Vivitrol (CRC's program is called Provita), allows patients to make one decision a month instead of thirty-it could add enormously to the field. CRC uses all these tools, and it is critical that these medications be combined with active counseling to deal with the lifestyle changes that are required for the management of all chronic decisions."
Herschman concluded, "According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are over 23 million people in the United States who need but do not receive drug or alcohol treatment. Only some four million get treatment now. We have a long way to go to close this treatment gap. The first step is that people should seek help, and their families, friends, colleagues, and professionals should encourage them to do so."
Contact: Bob Weiner 202-306-1200 or 202-329-1700
SOURCE CRC Health Group and Robert Weiner Associates
