Addiction is a Chronic Medical Illness

N C Med J. 2018 May-Jun;79(3):163-165. doi: 10.18043/ncm.79.3.163.

Abstract

Addiction is a chronic medical illness and needs to be viewed as such. For too long addiction has been viewed as episodic and has been treated in a 28-day inpatient rehab or 12-week outpatient program. That fact may explain why treatment outcomes for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) are better than short treatment episodes.

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use*
  • Chronic Disease
  • Humans
  • Methadone / therapeutic use*
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment / methods*
  • Opioid-Related Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / rehabilitation
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • Methadone