#79: In Home Detox (Dr. Abe Malkin)

If you want to stop using a drug in the United States, your only choice is often "cold turkey," a terrible name for an unnecessary risk that can often prove fatal if not properly treated. One alternative to this painful experience is a service called In Home Detox, which comes in many shapes and sizes depending on the part of the world you live in. Some doctors do it on the low; others are willing to give you take-home meds like Suboxone, and others, like Dr. Abe Malkin, will come to you. His company is called Elite Home Detox.The most heart breaking thing about withdrawal from drugs is how easy it would be to make sure no one ever suffered from it again. Drugs are incredibly cheap to produce and easy to taper in controlled environments. But until we rethink our stance on drugs, the stigma surrounding use delegitimizes non-sober forms of recovery. Our cultural beliefs stand in the way of many who would otherwise begin their own process of recovery.  In this relatively short conversation, Dr. Malkin and I discuss the dangers of detox, medication assisted treatment (MAT), holism, anti-aging treatments, age-related updates in drug use and vitamin intake, the disease model of addiction, stigma, recovery, how prison and punishment make addiction worse, the problem with 12-step models, Kratom, "recovery," Ketamine Infusions, IV therapy, and "Cold-Turkey Detox." We also discuss why you should never detox from alcohol or benzodiazepines without seeking medical treatment.  Support the show