Charged with DUI / DWI?
Heed the call. Medically assisted addiction treatment is available through a doctor in your community; you do not have to go to some expensive rehab. Stay at home … get treated while you are working or attending school.
People with addiction problems are frequently charged with DUI / DWI. This is a wake up call … do not ignore it. It could have been worse … accident, death, DUI manslaughter.
In addition to your addiction problem now you have a driving license problem … and you have to look for a lawyer and worry about legal expenses.
And that is not all … DUI / DWI many a times triggers whole lot of other problems … loss of driving license, a criminal record, loss of employment, marital friction and divorce, intervention by child protective services … and if you are a professional who requires a license for employment … you have made yourself vulnerable to action by the licensing authority.
There is a warning label on alcoholic beverages; it says “Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.” … well it causes much more than health problems. The legal and financial problems triggered by addiction are more likely to destroy your life … even before they destroy your health.
If you are lucky, the court will order you to attend counseling, take remedial classes, attend alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous meetings, put you on probation and monitoring … and if you are a repeat offender may even mandate treatment.
Why not get treated? If your will power is not enough … then medical assistance and counseling is available to help you with your addiction, … and it may be available in your community.
The cost of treatment is much lower than the cost of addiction.
Ask your doctor, ask your insurance, ask your friends, or search for doctors at
A doctor who prescribes Suboxone is more likely to treat other addictions too. It is outpatient treatment, and does not interfere with drug court programs. Medication will prevent withdrawal … and will makes it easier for you to comply with the requirements of the court.
Medications that are approved by FDA and that may be covered by your prescription plan are:
Suboxone / Zubsolv / Bunavail for opioid addiction.
Naltrexone, Campral, Antabuse for alcohol addiction.
For dependence or addiction to other substances
For addiction to other substances (other than opioids and alcohol), there are currently no FDA approved medications yet, but a medical doctor who treats addiction will be able to evaluate you and may prescribe medications that would ease your withdrawal symptoms, while you attend counseling and behavioral therapy.
Some of these substances are:
- Stimulants – Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Ritalin, Ephedrine, Psuedoephedrine, Cocaine, MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly), MDPV (Bath Salts).
- Depressants / Hypnotics / Sedatives – Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Xanax).
- Hallucinogen / Psychedilics – It includes LSD, PCP, Ketamine, Marijuana, and many other naturally occurring substances derived from plants.
If behavioral therapy is not adequate in controlling the addiction then an addiction specialist may use medications based on anecdotal evidence, for those addictions for which there is no FDA approved medication … this is considered off label use. These are not experimental medications … these are medications that have been approved by FDA for other uses.
Examples of these medications are: Fluoxetine (Prozac), Sertraline (Zoloft), Topiramate (Topamax), Ondansitron (Zofran), Baclofen, Gabapentin (Neurontin), Buprenorphine (Suboxone), Bupropion (Welbutrin), etc.
This page was last modified on: April 22, 2020