Many treatments are available to treat the dysfunction called addiction. Some people use cognitive behavioral therapy, support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and also medical treatment. Each approach has positives and negatives to consider, but I will focus on those related to the medical treatment of addiction.
Initially, to even begin treating addiction with a medical mindset, you must understand addiction as a disease of the body and mind. The disease model of addiction states that addiction is an abnormal condition stemming from genetic, neurologic, and environmental sources. (cite) It is not solely reliant on a person’s strength of will and moral capacity. When you start with this foundation, you are free to treat the