So several weeks back, I saw
I'm Dangerous with Love, a documentary about an experimental treatment for addiction called
ibogaine. Ibogaine is illegal in the U.S., but nonetheless, an underground movement to use ibogaine to help people kick drugs has emerged here. The documentary raises compelling questions about drug treatment and why and how it is that we have increasingly ceded to the medical profession and science to 'cure' addicition. I wish that Q&A with the 'star' and the director that followed the screening were also available. It was one of the most intelligent discussions I've heard about what drives addiction and how our current treatments miss the mark. If it comes to a theater near you, be sure to check it out!
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insightful post. I can´t wait to see Dimitri´s movie. I just wanted to share two new options for treatment with ibogaine.
http://www.mariposamedispa.com/
http://www.ibogaine-treatment.com/
Thanks
I watched this movie with my students on Weds. We were all riveted. I was most struck, on this second viewing of it, by Dmitri's notion that even if the people he detoxed with ibogaine go back to using heroin, his "intervention" was a success because they had a few days being with someone who cared about them in a loving environment. This is such a stark contrast to the "tough love" ideology underlying most abstinence-oriented treatment programs (and certainly perpetuated by shows like Intervention).
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear more about the Q&A you saw.