9781422282496

14 INTERVENTION AND RECOVERY

The Benchmark Recovery Center in Austin, Texas.

EVOLUTION OF ADDICTION TREATMENT

The earliest addiction medicine systems were not so much “treatments” as punishments—harsh methods of deterring people from indulging in alcohol. The ancient Egyptians, for instance, would whip people who were suspected of drunkenness, while the Turks poured molten lead down the user’s throat. The Greeks had a more mystical approach, believing that the presence of amethysts while drinking would protect against drunkenness. Addiction treatment systems have their own history in America. In the 18th century, elders from Native American tribes would counsel those struggling with addiction. These “sobriety circles” were the earliest known form of addiction treatment. In 1784, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote about the effects of alcohol on the mind and body. He was one of the first physicians to think about alcoholism as a disease, and he suggested the idea of a “sober house” where alcoholics could receive treatment. Versions of these “sober houses” sprung up across America throughout the 19th century.