Pubdate: Wed, 15 Mar 2006
Source: Central Leader (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2006 Central Leader
Contact:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3532
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

'REMARKABLE' CHANGES COMING IN TREATMENT OF ADDICTS

'Remarkable' changes in the treatments available for  alcohol and 
drug addiction could be available within  five to 10 years, according 
to a visiting American  addiction expert.

"We are on the cusp of remarkable pharmacological  treatments for 
addiction," Marvin Seppala told a  workshop yesterday, organised by 
private Auckland  treatment provider the Capri Trust.

The New Zealand Herald reported that treatments for  alcoholics and 
drug addicts would improve dramatically  as a result.

Dr Seppala is chief medical officer of the Hazelden  Foundation in 
the United States, which is credited with  developing the "Minnesota 
Model", a leading treatment  method that grew out of the success of 
Alcoholics  Anonymous.

"In the next five to 10 years we are going to have  multiple 
medications available for abstinence," Dr  Seppala told the workshop.

Professor Doug Sellman, director of the National  Addictions Centre 
at the Christchurch School of  Medicine, shared Dr Seppala's optimism.

"New Zealand is a little bit behind other Western  countries. We do 
now have naltrexone, which is probably  the No 1 anti-craving 
medicine that's used worldwide  for alcohol dependence.

"It's effective and it's having an impact on treatment  services, but 
it's a modest effect only. Like all  medications it doesn't work in 
some and works  brilliantly in others. There's a big range of effects."

Naltrexone's success had spurred further research and  other 
anti-craving drugs had become available or were  being tested.

Dr Seppala also described US work on an experimental  nicotine 
vaccine designed to prime the immune system to  incapacitate the 
drug, present in tobacco, before it  could reach the brain and induce 
pleasure and addiction.

But Professor Sellman said that there was an ethical  hurdle to the 
vaccine's use because it was at least  semi-permanent in the body.

Capri is a treatment centre for private fee-paying  clients. It costs 
$9000 plus GST for a two-week  residential programme and follow-up 
for people addicted  to alcohol, methamphetamine or other drugs. Its 
abstinence rate at a year is 65 per cent.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom