The Evolution of Addiction and Treatment Through the Ages
- Alcohol: The Devil’s Elixir. For much of human history, drinking alcohol has been an acceptable way to pass the time.
- Opioids: From Opium to Heroin and Prescription Painkillers. Opioids were introduced to the New World in 1620, when...
- Cocaine: From Celebrated Substance to Serious Problem. Cocaine rapidly found...
Full Answer
What is the best addiction treatment?
Sep 15, 2016 · The Evolution of Addiction and Treatment Through the Ages Alcohol: The Devil’s Elixir. For much of human history, drinking alcohol has been an acceptable way to pass the time. Opioids: From Opium to Heroin and Prescription Painkillers. Opioids were introduced to the New World in 1620, when... ...
How to refer a client to addiction treatment?
Jul 22, 2021 · Approaches to describing and treating addiction have changed dramatically over the years. This session will begin by presenting a brief history of addiction treatment, focusing on the lessons learned from each approach. Next, the presenter will review the current definition of addiction and its importance in directing modern policy and treatment.
Which is the best treatment for drug addiction?
Nov 18, 2021 · The takeaway from this chapter of addiction treatment history may be that creating art and keeping busy can be helpful ways to re-orient one’s life and spend one’s time; rewarding patients with Morphine may no longer be a key treatment modality, but many of those in recovery may still benefit from using their well-sharpened creativity (and, potentially, some …
How to find your identity through addiction treatment?
Oct 10, 2018 · According to authors Alana Henninger and Hung-En Sung, writing in the paper “History of Substance Abuse Treatment,” “the discovery of the physical side effects and consequences of chronic alcohol use, as well as the ineffective drive for abstinence during the temperance movement, played a role in the push for the institutional treatment of alcoholism.”
What is the origin of addiction?
When did Addiction Medicine start?
Who came up with the theory of addiction?
Who invented rehab?
How did Alcoholics Anonymous begin?
What is the clinical definition of addiction?
Is there an evolutionary advantage to addiction?
What are theories of addiction?
What is the root word of the word rehabilitation?
When was Alcoholics Anonymous founded?
Is alcoholism legally considered a disease?
What is the evolution of addiction?
The Evolution of Addiction and Treatment Through the Ages. The consumption of alcohol, opioids, cannabis and cocaine have roots in ancient history. The Bible references Noah’s drinking habits and intoxication, and the use of opium in Syria in the 7th century B.C. is well-documented in ancient medical texts.
When was heroin first used?
During the Civil War, injectable morphine used on the battlefields led to the first wave of morphine addiction, and when heroin was synthesized in 1895 , it was marketed as a viable solution to treating this addiction. As a result, heroin addiction began to grow nationwide.
What is the history of cannabis?
The consumption of alcohol, opioids, cannabis and cocaine have roots in ancient history. The Bible references Noah’s drinking habits and intoxication, and the use of opium in Syria in the 7th century B.C. is well-documented in ancient medical texts. Ancient Incas living in the Andes three thousand years before Christ chewed coca leaves to counter the physical effects of thin mountain air, and the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung wrote about cannabis in 2727 B.C.
Is drinking alcohol a good way to pass the time?
For much of human history, drinking alcohol has been an acceptable way to pass the time. Intoxication, on the other hand, has always been demonized. Ancient Egyptians cautioned against excessive drinking, Plato and Aristotle were vocally critical of intoxication, and Hindu Ayurvedic writings warn of the dire consequences of drunkenness. Catholic and Protestant leaders approved of drinking in moderation but considered intoxication a sin.
What amendment banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol?
In 1919, the iron-clad influence of anti-alcohol organizations like the Anti-Saloon League and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union led to the ratification of the 18th Amendment banning the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
How did prohibition affect alcoholism?
While Prohibition did curb drinking behaviors and reduced diagnoses of cirrhosis of the liver by two-thirds, the end of Prohibition led to a dramatic increase in alcoholism. People who before Prohibition wouldn’t have drank to excess or even consumed alcohol in public now felt free to do both.
What did the Chinese do to America?
Chinese laborers who came to America to work on the railroads in the mid-1800s brought with them the custom of smoking opium, and the resulting opium dens that cropped up across the nation led to widespread addiction among men.
Who was the first person to talk about addiction?
Thorpe, the author notes that the “first discussion about potential addiction in history likely belongs to the philosopher Aristotle, but he didn't exactly place the blame in a way modern thinkers would advocate.
Who coined the term "alcoholism"?
During that same period, advances in science began to show medical practitioners that prolonged and abundant alcohol consumption had a devastating effect on the human body, and in the mid-1800s, Swedish physician Dr. Magnum Huss coined the term “alcoholism.”.
What was Noah's first act?
In the Bible, Noah’s first act upon emerging from the Ark was to plant a vineyard. According to the 1989 publication “The History of Wine,” “the oldest seeds of cultivated vines so far discovered and carbon dated were found in Georgia and belong to the period from 7000 to 5000 BC.”. In ancient Egypt, waterlilies known as blue lotus flowers were ...
What was the Roman Catholic Church's main goal in the Middle Ages?
As the Roman Empire began to decline and Christianity began to spread throughout Europe, the Roman Catholic Church — the predominant religious authority of the time — sought to strike a balance between moderation and intemperance. Wine was declared to be a gift from God, and while individuals were allowed to decide on their personal consumption, overindulgence was considered sinful, and according to researcher J.D. Rolleston, “taxation of drink, reduction in the hours of sale and the number of taverns and other restrictions were introduced in the Middle Ages,” according to a 1933 article in the publication Nature.
What was the first patient advocate organization?
The 19th Century. One of the first patient advocate organizations was the American Association for the Cure of Inebriation, organized in 1870 by the managers of six homes and asylums for alcoholics.
What was the Harrison Act?
In addition, the passage of the Harrison Act in 1914 put an end to the sale of products containing ingredients derived from opium poppies or coca leaves, meaning that tinctures, powders, elixirs and various other “cure-alls” that could be bought in catalogs and at pharmacies were no longer for sale legally.
Who painted the man on the bed?
The modern era. "The Man on the Bed," painting of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith by A.A. member Robert M., published in the 1955 edition of Grapevine. The approach shifted once again beginning in 1933, once Prohibition ended and the Modern Alcoholism Movement began to take hold.
When did insurance companies start treating addiction?
Between 1964 and 1975 , insurance companies began to recognize addiction as a treatable disease and started providing coverage for treatment for those battling addiction. By the 1980s, drug addiction treatment and alcohol addiction treatment were finally seen as similar, and treatment efforts were merged.
What is the theory of addiction?
The medical community today largely heralds the disease theory of addiction – that brain chemistry is altered through regular substance abuse, leading to behavioral changes and compulsory drug-abusing behaviors as well as the creation of a physical dependence that may be best treated by pharmacological and therapeutic methods. [55]
What is the definition of addiction?
The current definition of addiction postules that it is not a failing of moral character, but rather a disease of the brain that impacts the reward system, willpower, and emotional regulation of a person. Addiction requires specialized treatment for recovery and to avoid episodes of relapse. [2]
When was the inebriate asylum built?
The New York State Inebriate Asylum, built in 1858, actually may have been one of the first institutions to attempt to treat alcoholism as a disease, catering to the upper-crust society of New York in the late 19th century until such belief was shunned.
What was LSD used for?
1950-1960: LSD, the hallucinogenic drug, was used to treat individuals suffering from alcoholism. [24] Present day: Even today, the Internet gives rise to a plethora of strange and aversive techniques and “cures” for addiction that can not only make people sick, but are also largely ineffective.
What drugs were used in the 1800s?
During the mid to late 1800s, cocaine, chloral hydrate, chloroform, and cannabis became widely prescribed and used, and addictions to these drugs, as well as to opioids, grew. [25] Society as a whole may have looked the other way and felt that since a large majority of those addicted to these narcotic drugs were upper-class white women, and therefore were not a threat to society, their drug addiction may have been largely tolerated. [26] Things began to change, however, as the United States became more of an international power, and drug abuse internally became less acceptable to the outside world. Physicians were also beginning to understand the potential dangers of drug abuse and addiction, and change in the population of individuals addicted to drugs may have forced the hand of the government to enact legislation controlling the prescription, sale, and abuse of narcotics. [27]
When was methadone first used?
In the 1960s , methadone was introduced as an opioid addiction maintenance treatment, as it was a long-acting opioid that could be substituted for shorter-acting ones, such as heroin. A public health initiative sought a publicly funded opioid treatment system that heralded the use of methadone. [43] .
What was the drug of the 19th century?
In the late half of the 19th century, drug abuse was so widespread that Britain went to war twice with China to keep opium trade routes open, and these naturally became known as the Opium Wars. Cocaine was isolated in 1884 and quickly became yet another widespread drug of abuse.
Who was the first person to believe in alcoholism?
One of the Founding Fathers of America, Benjamin Rush, was one of the first to believe that alcoholism was not a matter of personal willpower but rather due to the alcohol itself. Rush challenged the accepted belief at the time that alcoholism was a moral failing, thereby progressing the concept of addiction as a disease.
Who founded Alcoholics Anonymous?
Bob Smith and Bill Wilson – commonly known as Dr. Bob and Bill W. – founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
What changed in the 1960s?
All that changed in the 1960s when many new and exotic drugs, such as hallucinogens, amphetamines and marijuana, became more readily available. The proliferation of these substances birthed many government agencies, all commissioned to counter the scourge of illegal drugs.
What was the trade in the second millennium?
During the second millennium, world trade started to be more prominent. Ships started sailing from China to Europe-Marco Polo rediscovered major trade routes to India and China, and in 1492, a lost expedition led by Christopher Columbus ended up in Hispaniola, the island that encompasses the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Where did opium come from?
Opium eventually made it to China, and the local Chinese started trading it with the British, French and Dutch traders. It started arriving in Europe and the Americas in bulk in the late 17th century, when it swiftly became a problem.
When was morphine first used?
Introduced commercially in 1827 , morphine quickly became the drug of choice, particularly after the advent of the hypodermic syringe in 1853. With few effective controls on its production and sale, it rapidly reached epidemic levels in the United States thanks to the American Civil War.
What was the first treatment for mental illness?
One of the most infamous chapters in the history of mental health treatments was psychosurgery. First developed in the 1930s, a patient would be put into a coma, after which a doctor would hammer a medical instrument (similar to an icepick) through the top of both eye sockets. The process would cut the nerves that connected the frontal lobes (which regulate behavior and personality) to the centers of the inner brain that regulate emotion. The idea behind lobotomies was to induce calm in patients who were uncontrollably hysterical or emotional, especially in conditions like schizophrenia, manic depression, and bipolar disorder. 13
Who developed the theory of talking cures?
A major figure in that progression was Sigmund Freud. The famous Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist developed his theory of psychoanalysis, which gave rise to the practice of “talking cures” and free association, encouraging patients to talk about whatever came to mind. Freud’s theory was that the avenues of conversation would open a door to the patient’s unconscious mind, granting access to any kind of repressed thoughts and feelings that might have compelled the mental instability.
What are some theories about mental illness?
Ancient theories about mental illness were often the result of beliefs that supernatural causes, such as demonic possession, curses, sorcery, or a vengeful god , were behind the strange symptoms. Remedies, therefore, ran the gamut from the mystical to the brutal. Anthropological discoveries dating as far back as 5000 BCE showed evidence of trephining, which the Inquiries journal explains as the process of a hole (or a trephine, from the Greek word for boring) being bored into the skull, with the use of rudimentary stone instruments. The humans of the Neolithic era believed that opening up a hole in the skull would allow the evil spirit (or spirits) that inhabited the head of the mentally ill to be released, thereby curing them of their affliction. 1
Where did the first mental health reform take place?
But it was in Paris, in 1792, where one of the most important reforms in the treatment of mental health took place. Science Museum calls Pinel “the founder of moral treatment,” which it describes as “the cornerstone of mental health care in the 1800s.” 9,10 Pinel developed a hypothesis that mentally unhealthy patients needed care and kindness in order for their conditions to improve; to that effect, he took ownership of the famous Hospice de Bicêtre, located in the southern suburbs of Paris. He ordered that the facility be cleaned, patients be unchained and put in rooms with sunlight, allowed to exercise freely within hospital grounds, and that their quality of care be improved.
What did Freud do to help people with mental health problems?
Mainstream psychology may not have thought much of psychoanalysis, but the attention Freud’s work received opened other doors of mental health treatment, such as psychosurgery, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychopharmacology. These treatments originated from the biological model of mental illness, which put forward that mental health problems were caused by biochemical imbalances in the body (an evolution of the “four humors” theory) and needed to be treated like physical diseases; hence, for example, psychosurgery (surgery on the brain) to treat the symptoms of a mental health imbalance.
What is the oldest medical book?
Two papyri, dated as far back as the 6th century BCE, have been called “the oldest medical books in the world,” for being among the first such documents to have identified the brain as the source of mental functioning (as well as covering other topics like how to treat wounds and perform basic surgery). 4.
How did Freud use dream analysis?
Part of Freud’s approach involved dream analysis, which encouraged patients to keep a journal of what their unconscious mind was trying to tell them through their dreams. The psychiatrist would study the contents of the journal, discerning messages and patterns that would unlock the mental illness. Remnants of his methodology are found in how the cognitive behavioral therapists of today engage in “talk therapy” with their clients, encouraging them to keep journals of their thoughts and feelings, and then devising a treatment plan based on the subtext of what is written.
When was heroin invented?
Heroin was synthesized from morphine in 1874 by an English chemist, and attempts were made to use heroin instead of morphine due to problems of morphine abuse. It wasn’t realized at the time that Heroin was also highly addictive.
When was cocaine first used in medicine?
In 1859 , cocaine was extracted from coca leaves by German chemist Albert Niemann and by the 1880s, it has become popularized in the medical community. The drug got a massive popularity boost when it was included as an ingredient in Coca Cola in 1886 and was praised for its euphoric and energizing effects.
When was alcohol first used?
Thousands of years ago, before the best drug rehab centers were an option, alcohol was a commonly used drink in almost every part of the world. Some archaeological records date back to 10 thousand years ago in ancient China where people mixed honey, rice, and fruit in order to create alcohol. Even though a term for alcoholism hadn’t yet been invented, their society frowned upon excessive drinking.
Where did alcohol originate?
Some archaeological records date back to 10 thousand years ago in ancient China where people mixed honey, rice, and fruit in order to create alcohol. Even though a term for alcoholism hadn’t yet been invented, their society frowned upon excessive drinking.
Where did heroin come from?
Heroin’s origins lie in opium, an ancient drug from the sap of opium poppies that has been used as far back as the civilization of Mesopotamia around 3,400 BC . Opium was used by the ancient Egyptians and Persians, before spreading to Europe, India and China.
When did crack cocaine become popular?
Crack cocaine – a crystallized form of the drug – became popular in the 1980s but was even more deadly. Between 1985 and 1989, the number of regular cocaine users jumped from 4.2 million to 5.8 million people. Coca leaves for sale at a market in Peru ( zeljka / Adobe Stock)
Who is Thanush Poulsen?
Thanush Poulsen is a Danish blogger who investigates the history of drug use/abuse. Over the years, Thanush has done a lot of work to represent how different drugs traveled the path from medical remedies to addictive substances. Login or Register in order to comment.
