22 Oct The Drug Addiction Awareness Doctor Calgary
In 2018, Calgarians heard the sad news of Alexandra Sheichuk who left her home in Calgary and traveled 12000 kilometers to a monastery to seek help for her drug addiction. The monastery was well known for its detox program. Alexandra was a ballet dancer, who had become addicted to opioids, but she was determined to kick the addiction, and willing to do whatever it took. Unfortunately, Alexandra died in Laos, miles from her friends and family. The autopsy showed she was drug free.
If Alexandra could have sought help in Canada, she might still be alive. But the shame and stigma that is attached to drug addiction often forces addicts to hide their addiction, and it can stop them from seeking the help they need.
As the rate of addiction to opioids rises, more of us recognize that drug addiction is not just a problem that is assigned to criminals.
And thanks to pioneering addiction psychologist, Dr. Herbert David Kleber, we now view addiction as a medical condition and not solely a criminal activity. Dr Kleber was the first known psychologist who believed that addiction should be treated through research, therapy, and medication.
Before Dr. Kleber’s studies, alcohol and drug addiction was commonly viewed as ‘moral failure’ and this view did not take into consideration the physical nature of addiction or the psychological effects of a person’s history that led to addiction.
Thankfully, Dr. Kleber’s research changed how the public and the government viewed addiction, which led to an increase in awareness and funding for treatment. He established a method called “evidence-based treatment” which used science and research to help change the path of addiction.
He founded various treatment centers, and under his leadership as the deputy director for demand reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, he established many programs in prevention, education, and treatment that led to a decrease in the demand for illegal drugs.
It’s thanks to the hard work and dedication of people like Dr. Kleber, that we can now help people suffering from addiction get the treatment they need without attaching blame, shame or guilt. Dr. Kleber worked with addicts for over forty years, and he saved countless lives through his drug addiction interventions and drug treatment programs.
It’s all too easy to dismiss an alcoholic or victim of drug addiction, or to give up hope that they will ever kick the addiction, but evidence-based treatment works, and countless individuals have gone through treatment successfully.
Don’t stand by and watch a loved one suffer from the effects of addiction, and you don’t have to be a psychologist to help a loved one.
Get the help of an interventionist in Calgary. Reach out to a professional interventionist who can support you and your loved one, and encourage them to take steps towards sobriety.