Some potential addicts are actually introduced to addiction therapy through their primary care doctor. We’re all familiar with the surveys our physicians give us before an examination. They ask: “how many drinks have you had in the past week?”, “have you used drugs in the past week?”, “have you ever thought about self-harm?”, etc. Sometimes we’re honest, sometimes we’re not. When we’re honest, they might stage a brief intervention if they think we are at risk for addiction. Or, they might refer us to a few addiction therapy sessions with a counselor.

Who Does Addiction Therapy Work For?

These pre-examination screenings have been pushed by the federal government in order to prevent the progression of addiction. However, Psych Central reports that referrals to addiction therapy are only significant for alcohol abusers. As for every other drug — marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and opioid painkillers — they appear to have little to no difference. Why is this? What is the difference between drug addiction and alcohol addiction? Isn’t alcohol just another drug?

Drugs vs. Alcohol

Alcohol is a drug, and there’s no denying that. However, it is different in a couple of ways. The first and most obvious way is that alcohol is legal. In fact, it’s not even a controlled substance. Because of this, alcohol is — to a large extent — socially acceptable. Not even commonly used drugs, such as marijuana, can claim this to be true. The social implications of alcohol vs. other drugs give way to different implications for addiction therapy.

Drugs vs. Drugs

There’s also a difference between every individual drug. Although each might have things in common with another, they’re all unique and cause unique effects in users — socially, mentally, emotionally, and physically. For example, the Psych Central article points out, “Prescription drug misuse is particularly complex, as it may involve pain relief, as well as euphoria-seeking behavior or selling of prescribed drugs.”

Conclusion

Obviously, all drugs have at least one thing in common: addiction. But that doesn’t mean addiction is a one-size-fits-all ordeal. Different kinds of addiction therapy work for different kinds of addictions, and different kinds of addicts as well. So, the point isn’t that addiction therapy doesn’t work for drugs, or that it only works for alcoholics. When it comes to physicians’ screenings, we’ve only ever tried one kind of intervention. The point is: maybe we should try other kinds.