Stigma
Over a thousand years ago, excessive alcohol use and drunkenness were recognized as a social problem. However, the definition of perpetual drunkenness and its consequences was not established medically until the 18th century when the term alcoholism was coined. Historically, alcoholism was known to cause social disapproval (stigma) of alcoholics caused by misguided views of alcoholism. In the early 1900s, Individuals with alcoholism were described as morally inferior, and children of alcoholics were often labelled born criminals with no ability to determine right from wrong.
Opiates Kill Crying Babies
A draft of opium was given to crying babies in Ancient Egypt and the Victorian era. A concoction like “Mrs. Winslows Soothing Syrup” often contained morphine, opium and other ingredients. It was used to settle restless babies and had been described historically as the “Poor Child’s Nurse” because of its ability to stop babies from crying. The poisonous concoction caused infant mortality from starvation because the babies were in a continued state of narcotism and declined food.
There have been many treatments to curb the appetite for addiction and alcoholism throughout recorded history. In the 1600s, smokers in Russia were punished by lip cutting, and those who smoked hashish in Egypt had their teeth pulled out. Alcoholics were perceived as individuals of low character; some were jailed, tortured, and executed for being possessed by demons while in a state of addiction.
19th Century Quackery
“A nation corrupted by alcohol can never be free.” ~ Dr. Benjamin Rush
The 19th century fashioned many medical claims involving alcohol prescribed as a treatment for ailments, and it was often sold as a safer and cleaner water source. As a result, drugs with mind-altering effects seem to flow perpetually back and forth between good and bad, medicine and poison. Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of the first doctors to suggest that a treatment for addicts with the progressive & incurable disease of addiction was to go away somewhere to sober up and “kick the habit.” Rush’s philosophy ultimately shaped how many doctors treat SUD today.
The Keeley Cure
In the 1800s, treatment regimens involved isolation and “detoxification,” a slightly dangerous process involving administering poison. In late 1800, Dr. Leslie E. Keeley began searching for a cure for addiction. The Keeley Cure was a useless injection; however, the cure had a surprising 50% success rate because, besides the seemingly useless injections, Dr. Keeley encouraged group therapy, exchanging information, and getting community involvement. Over 100 years later, group therapy, exchange of information and community involvement are treatment strategies learned, taught, and implemented as a part of abstinence-based recovery.
In the 21st Century, alcoholism clinical diagnostic terms such as alcohol use disorder or alcohol dependence replaced the use of alcoholism and alcoholic because the terms alcoholism and alcoholic were determined to be stigmatizing and discouraged alcoholics from seeking treatment. Alcohol use disorder is among the most highly stigmatized medical conditions in the Western world, contributing to significant social and economic losses to individuals and society at large.
History that Keeps on Giving
Charles Schuppert used morphine as a wonder drug. He injected patients with the medication to relieve pain, asthma, headaches, alcoholics’ delirium tremors, gastrointestinal diseases and menstrual cramps. Physicians prescribed opiates, and pharmacists sold them to individuals medicating themselves for physical and mental discomforts, causing dependency. By 1895, morphine and opium powders had led to an addiction epidemic that affected roughly 1 in 200 Americans and, in some cities, made up 15% of all dispensed medications.
One hundred twenty years later, a wave of prescribed medical opiates has been described as sinister and dubbed the “crime of the century.” OxyContin (oxycodone), a semisynthetic narcotic analgesic, is prescribed for the management of moderate to severe pain, chronic pain syndromes, and terminal cancers. The manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family members, unleashed an aggressive promotion of the highly addictive OxyContin that laid the groundwork for America’s opioid crisis that killed more than 100,000 people in 2022. However, these medical opiates were approved and prescribed by physicians as it has been historically.
