Hi Everyone,
The American Society of Addictions Medicine's (ASAM) has a revised definition of addiction: “Addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. Prevention efforts and treatment approaches for addiction are generally as successful as those for other chronic diseases.”
Notice some key factors: It's a complex chronic medical disease, and it's just as successful to treat as other chronic diseases.
Depending on the severity, symptoms, and determined prognosis, addiction treatment options are numerous, just as they are for other chronic illnesses. Yet, Substance Use Disorders (SUD) continue to be assessed as acute illnesses which limit individualized treatment strategies into one size fits all.
We recently heard this from an addictions healthcare provider: "We only use one medication. Can you take out the recommendations for other medications in our reports?" A little shocking? What if doctors treating diabetes or heart disease ignored test results that did not align with their personal treatment preferences?
Compris' comprehensive 10-20-minute assessment elevates SUD to a chronic illness. It supplies a missing piece to this complex disease by asking the necessary questions for prevention and lasting outcomes. The tool is valid for diagnosing acute SUD at 3-months and 12-months, captures chronic risk factors beyond 12-months, and Recovery Capital for individualized prevention and informed treatment facilitation.
Please help us standardize addiction assessment and treatment. If you are a provider and would like a free trial, please fill in our contact form and we'll get you set up. You can also help by following or sharing us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Thank you,
Joyce Ann and Calvin McGinn
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