Drugs used to treat addiction can seem like a bizarre practice to many people, but thousands of addicts currently in recovery will attest to the fact that addiction treatment drugs are at least partially responsible for their recovery. These drugs include new medications such as Topiramate and Acamprosate, and traditional addiction treatment drugs like methadone, suboxone and benzodiazepines. However, each drug is used to treat specific and highly individualized cases of addiction and should only be used as a temporary part of a long term, balanced treatment plan. This is an especially important consideration because many addiction treatment drugs can be addicting themselves.

One of the oldest and most prescribed addiction treatment drugs of all time is methadone. This drug has been used since the 1940's to treat people with severe addictions to opiates like morphine and heroin. Methadone is itself an opiate but has other properties that interfere with a person's ability to get "high," and thereby lose the motivation to use drugs. However, methadone does have the potential for abuse and some people become addicted quite easily if not used as part of a very well managed drug addiction treatment program. It is also important to note that overdoses are possible when addicts believe that if they use enough of the drug they will eventually get high. This is generally not true and in reality could lead to fatal respiratory complications.

Benzodiazepines have been used to treat alcoholism since these drugs were first synthesized in an effort to replace the dangerous class of drugs known as barbiturates. Because detox from alcohol can in rare cases be fatal as a result of grand mal seizures, benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax and Ativan are used to keep patients calm, pain-free and as comfortable as possible. But unlike methadone and its close cousin suboxone, benzodiazepines can create a euphoric state and are therefore extremely addictive.

Recently new drugs have been developed to treat alcoholism that exhibit potential as illicit chemical addiction substitutes and treatments. These drugs work in a similar way to methadone in that they block the addicts' ability to "feel good" from using drugs and in theory this will eventually decrease the desire to do so. Drugs like Topiramate and Acamprosate have shown promise in early clinical studies when coupled with other forms of treatment.

While different drugs may be effective as addiction treatment aids, they can never replace the power of a long term addiction treatment program like an inpatient, outpatient or day/night program. Addiction treatment drugs should only be used as a temporary measure to allow a person enough time and physical and mental resources to take the first steps in a recovery program that will last a lifetime. Because addiction is a clinical disease with no known cure, treatment is the only answer and drugs are just a small part of that solution.

If you or someone you love has a drug or alcohol problem you can get help right now by calling or clicking on the links below. You can get immediate help and potentially medication for addiction relief using one of the drugs detailed in this article.