The problem--if you can call it that--with Vivitrol is that it exposes the addict to his underlying problems--anxiety disorders, et al--without offering a way for the addict to deal with them. ”

The problem--if you can call it that--with Vivitrol is that it exposes the addict to his underlying problems--anxiety disorders, et al--without offering a way for the addict to deal with them. If this is a court-ordered alternative to incarceration, then it makes some sense, but the addict may have to face other agonies that he wouldn't have to face were he on Methadone or Suboxone. I hope someday we can redirect our vast prison resources to long-term research on more effective methods of treatment. An addict's brain is broken, often way before he is arrested, which means that as soon as he is released from prison or his probationary Vivitrol expires, he may very well use again.