One of the defining characteristics of an addictive personality is the inability to practice delayed gratification. Whatever the inpidual wants, he or she wants now, not later, not in five minutes. Having said this, one of the main components present in substance abuse treatment is a behavioral change in order to procure long lasting abstinence from drug use .

Rapid drug detox is an option for hard core drug users? The ads offer quick, efficient and painless detoxification from opiod drug use. In a few hours, the drug user has totally bypassed the often, long and torturous road to recovery.

But the question comes….is it effective? An even more pressing question is it safe? The physicians that run these operations will say, yes, absolutely, there is no danger in rapid detox. However, seven patients from 1999-2003 died under the care of Dr. Lance Gooberman at the U.S. Detox Intensive Treatment Center which is based in New Jersey. This physician had his license taken away from him. Why did these patients die? Well, the procedure puts a lot of stress on the drug user’s body, which is already not in full working order. Over the course of the last few years however, there has been much advancement in the rapid detoxification process.

How Does Rapid Opiod Detoxification Work?

In order to speak about the rapid detoxification process, one must speak of Andre Waismann. Dr. Waismann is an Israeli physician, specifically an anesthesiologist, who started practicing the rapid detoxification method in 1994. Dr. Waismann and his team screen patients for their levels of dependence to their drug of choice, in most cases, opiates.

Opiates are artificial endorphins. Meaning, one naturally produces endorphins which make one feel happy and are the physiological components behind someone experiencing a natural high. Continued use of opiates causes the body to stop producing endorphins and the opiate receptors present need more and more stimulation in order to procure a reaction. The brain may also develop more receptors to take in the opiates that are being introduced to the system.

The Waismann team administers drugs that anesthesiologists use to block the opiod receptors and then a drug is introduced that blocks opiods. The entire process takes about 36 hours and according to Dr. Waismann, the patients don’t feel any of the symptoms associated with withdrawal:

• Abdominal pain
• Agitation
• Diarrhea
• Dilated pupils
• Goose bumps
• Nausea
• Runny nose
• Sweating
• Vomiting

Patients are screened prior to treatment to find out what level of dependence they are displaying. The physician sedates the patient and medications are introduced to block the opiod receptors from further reaction to opiod. The patients are monitored as the medications are being administered. According to Dr. Waismann the patient is unaware this process is taking place. For a year after treatment, the patients take Naltrexone, which is a tablet taken once a day by mouth. The purpose of naltrexone is to block opiod receptors which should stop the patient from getting a high should they attempt to use.

Can This Really Work?

According to the organizations that perform rapid opiod detoxification, there are no issues with the treatment. For instance, according to a study from Mount Sinai Medical Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, the process is one hundred percent successful. According to this institution, relapse is only reported fifty five percent of the time, during the six month follow-up period. These numbers do not include use of alcohol and other drugs however. Furthermore, there are physiological risks for the addict going through a rapid detoxification program as demonstrated by Dr. Gooberman’s practice.

Is It a Magic Cure?

The answer to this is no. Though these practices will have one believe that the detoxification process will result in unsolicited recovery from substance abuse, what this does not take into account is the fact that one is dealing with an addict. It is not just the fact that the inpidual is using substances; it is the behaviors and lifestyle that accompanies drug use which needs to be remedied. This includes unlearning behaviors that have been with the inpidual for most of his or her life. Unlearning them takes time and a lot of work on the part of the addict. Rapid detoxification is just the first step in a lifetime of work the addict has to commit to.

Dr. Waismann’s method is a helpful push in the direction of recovery from opiod use; however, unless there is a bridge to behavioral changes, it is likely that the addict will relapse. The use of naltrexone, as Dr. Waismann suggests can help to fight cravings while the patient continues to work on the reasons why he or she is looking for a chemical high. It is the nature of the addict to look for the easier way to do things.

In terms of detoxification, there is nothing wrong with that, but for lasting abstinence one must change his or her behaviors in addition to physically ridding the body of these substances. So, final verdict, Waismann’s method can work but it's not the end of the treatment it's only the beginning.

References
McCabe, Scott. (2000). Rapid detox: understanding new treatment approaches for the addicted patient. Perspective Psychiatric Care. 2000 Oct-Dec; 36(4):113-20
Dr. Andre Waismann Rethinking Addiction - Cyprus Review. http://www.anrclinic.info/media-centre/press-news/dr-andre-waismann-rethinking-addiction-cyprus-review. Accessed 28 February 2009.
Waismann, Andre- biography. http://www.doctor.co.il/megama/pages/andre.html. Accessed 1st March 2009.