Minnesota medicine
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Opioid abuse has become a national and state public health crisis. This article reviews the extent of the problem in Minnesota, the relationship between prescription opioids and heroin, and the nature of addiction. It also describes what every physician can do to help remedy the situation.
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For years, treatment professionals have debated the virtues of medication maintenance versus psychosocial therapies for treating opioid addiction. In its response to the opioid crisis, Hazelden is attempting to bridge the difference by using a treatment protocol that involves both the conservative use of safe medications and psychosocial therapies while maintaining the ultimate goal of abstinence. This article discusses the recent and precipitous rise in opioid use, abuse, dependence and overdoses in the United States; the physician's role in creating and solving the problem; and Hazelden's unique approach to caring for people with opioid addiction.