Alcoholism drug Vivitrol: An alternative to DUI sentencing?
There is a little known drug called Vivitrol, which has been shown to have good success in battling alcoholism. The problem is, hardly anybody really knows about it.
One of the main problems is that most non-alcoholics refuse to think of alcoholism as a disease, while most alcoholics refuse to acknowledge that they have a disease or addiction. The net result is that useful drugs are not as profitable for drug companies to concentrate on. The demand may not be there, and interest is hard to stir.
Before the invasion of ignition interlock devices and SCRAM devices into the DUI court system, courts would sometimes mandate the use of Anabuse in exchange for certain privileges, like avoiding jail time. I haven't seen this done in years. Instead, courts have gotten more punitive, taking their cues from legislatures. Until we acknowledge that alcoholism mandates treatment, not punishment, DUI and all of the carnage it causes, will, unfortunately, continue.Makers of alcoholism drug Vivitrol struggle to make way into market - The Boston Globe: "'I would absolutely recommend it [Vivitrol] to anyone who is looking to get sober,' he said. 'I would obsess about drinking all the time, and I just don't think about it anymore.' But when Kyle mentions the drug to other alcoholics, he mostly gets puzzled looks. 'Nobody has any idea what it is,' he said. Despite a litany of similar testimonials about its effectiveness, Vivitrol has largely been a commercial flop. There are several reasons: Many alcohol treatment programs resist using drugs; some doctors contend Vivitrol doesn't work for most patients; and it's expensive - $800 a month. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are about 8 million alcoholics in the United States, yet only a few thousand use Vivitrol, nearly three years after it went on the market. Alkermes recently predicted it will generate no more than $24 million in sales for this fiscal year, far below initial expectations."
