The First Steps

Originally Posted in January but I wanted to make sure that everyone got a chance to read it. -G

Hello, my name is Dr. Brian Earthman

I want to thank George for having the courage to approach me about his new product. He and I come from two very different worlds. After my initial discussion with George one common principal we both share is clear. We both want to help as many people get free from the bonds of opiate addiction as possible. His invitation for me to join this project provides me the opportunity to share what I know with a vastly greater population than what I come into contact with in my practice. Thank you, George.

I think everyone should know a little about me as well. I am a medical doctor (MD) with residency training in psychiatry. My undergraduate studies were at The University of Texas in Austin. Medical school was done at Texas Tech University Health Science Centers in Lubbock and Amarillo. I completed an additional four year residency training in psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio with electives in substance abuse treatment. Since my formal medical training I have been working with substance abuse patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. Currently I have an outpatient practice in Cedar Park near Austin, Texas and I am the Psychiatric Services Director for Spirit Lodge, a residential substance abuse treatment center in the Texas hill country near Austin.

I need to make clear at the outset that my practice of medicine is confined to the confidential setting of my inpatient and outpatient practices. My presence here does not constitute medical advice and I am not establishing a patient physician relationship with any viewers or posters of this website. Please be clear that the diagnosis and treatment of your medical problems should be handled by your own physician. I’m here to help you find help but I cannot treat you. The science of medicine can provide us with tremendous knowledge, but the art of healing is an intimate process between you and your doctor.

I believe that addiction to chemicals is one of the greatest problems in our society and from a big picture standpoint limits our nation’s and our world’s progress and success. It’s clear to me that addiction is a multifaceted problem in the individual. The body develops a physical dependence that can be seen in the symptoms of withdrawal. The mind develops an emotional dependence that can manifest in obsession with the substance and undeniable cravings. The soul, if you will, begins to erode your image of self. Treatment of this multifaceted problem should address all of these and sometimes more components of addiction.

The science of addiction is a rapidly growing field. Often by the time new information is disseminated the cutting edges of research have far out-paced that information. There are different ways of knowing or proving ideas. In research centers around the world there is rigorous scientific work looking for indisputable proof about different aspects of addiction. But we can also learn from empirical evidence, or what we can easily see around us and witness for ourselves. For instance, at Thanksgiving if my brother is the only one to eat Aunt Betty’s potato salad and he gets violently ill that night I am not going near that potato salad for leftovers the next day. What we know presently is that there is a reward pathway in the brain that gets hijacked by drugs. The drugs lead us away from our relationships, our hobbies and interests, and our purpose. Not everyone that is exposed to drugs develops an addiction. In fact, the highest rates of addiction are only roughly 30% of everyone that is exposed to a particular drug. Often someone is addicted to a particular class of drug and has tried all the others without becoming addicted to them.

The pathway to addiction is as varied as the number of people trapped by it. The road to recovery is just as varied. Some people need years of treatment in inpatient and outpatient settings. Unfortunately some never recover and leave this world still grasping to the hope of their next fix. Some need only a few months of treatment. Many seek no treatment at all and through sheer force of will break free from the chains of addiction. I want to make clear that whoever you are, recovery is possible, and no matter how much it takes the price of recovery is worth paying. I use a variety of tools to treat my patients: medication, counseling, admission to treatment facilities, lifestyle modifications, family interventions, and herbal supplements. After seeing the results from the people who have used the Withdrawal Ease System and researching the active ingredients, I now recommend the Withdrawal Ease System to some patients for help in combating the physical and mental symptoms of withdrawal from opiates.

In this post, I have only scratched the surface on all of these issues. Part of what I will contribute to this site is an in-depth look at many of these topics and others. I also want to be here for you to answer questions and concerns that you have. I will not be able to address all questions but I want to help all who are struggling to break free and return to their friends and family.

Good Luck… and I’ll be here along the way.

Dr. E