New drug crisis

More doctors must be trained in substance abuse

Anew drug crisis involving an old drug is rapidly taking root as the nation still struggles with the opioid crisis. Methamphetamine is back.

The revival of meth is a symbol of something larger. It’s an indicator of America’s addiction problem and the need for effective treatment.

That problem can’t be solved without medical professionals trained to recognize and treat addiction, and there aren’t many of them. There are only 3,000 board-certified addiction specialist physicians in the United States, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The number of individuals suffering with opioid addiction alone is estimated at about 2 million.

It’s not only a problem of lacking specialists. Most doctors receive no training on treating addiction in medical school. Over the course of a career, almost every practicing doctor will encounter patients who need help with addiction. Any doctor who can write a prescription should learn how to help patients with substance use disorders.

More doctors and nurse practitioners need training to help addicted patients. Medical schools should introduce required coursework on addiction treatment for all students.

One drug wave follows another in the United States. Once a drug wanes in popularity or availability, something new takes its place. Whatever drug it is doesn’t matter. Addiction is not being effectively treated in America, and that needs to change because meth can kill just as opioids can kill.

Meth deaths are increasing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meth overdose deaths almost quintupled between 2012 and 2018. Some of those lives could have been saved if physicians recognized signs of a problem and helped patients understand treatment options and guide them through withdrawal.

Drug addiction won’t go away, but with effective treatment lives can be saved and some of the costs associated with drug abuse lessened. In the past, doctors tended to think law enforcement was the answer and that addiction treatment wasn’t part of a physician’s job. That’s not sufficient any longer. The opioid crisis started not on the streets, but in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

Drug use is often a coping mechanism, and eventually spirals out of control. Like alcoholism, drug addiction is a disease and needs to be treated as such.

Treating addiction saves lives. Health professionals need proper training to do just that.