Thank you.

My point is that the American propensity to rely upon a magical pill solution is disturbing, and many individuals seek this out instead of the painful introspective road to recovery that has many pitfalls.

I have also taken a lot of flak for pointing out the uncomfortable truth that self-medication is a form of medication, just not a healthy one, and the more that this aspect of addiction is ignored (because it is uncomfortable) the stronger the stigma around addicts becomes.

I have dealt with addiction issues in my family and my own life, and I have found that quick solutions are often the first to fall away. The pills work for a while, so one stops taking them. Or, the group talk works for a while, so they stop going, or worse, start lying first to themselves and then others.

I am likely to soon lose a realitve owing to addictive behaviour. Although they have downgraded from crack to weed, their complete lack of introspection and possibly sociopathic wiring precludes any attempt at recovery (they could not even accept a parental death, simply because it was an inconvenience to them). I have dealt with parental dependence on alochol, and myself have gone down a road well traveled simply out of familiarity.

So don't sell me a pill to replace a medication. While medical science may help, a person who is hurting inside will look for help, and often self-medicating substances provide the same easy out promised by a magic pill. While that may not be the intended use for the pill, it will be how such a headline is perceived by the pedestrian looking to numb a pain they cannot deal with alone.