我酗酒成瘾超15年。高中和大学时期开始豪饮，逐渐变成断片、进急诊室、懊悔与羞耻的无尽循环。等到身边同龄人逐渐成熟不再酗酒，我还是泥潭深陷。狂饮和断片的时间越来越长，身体和心理健康问题也愈发严重。
我试过12步戒酒会、心理治疗，也向医生寻求过帮助，但效果一直不佳。后来医生给我开了安全有效能帮助控制酗酒或戒酒的纳曲酮，情况才有所好转。纳曲酮被推荐用于酒精使用障碍，我终于能控制自己酗酒的毛病了。
在吃药控制方面有困难的并非我一个。在2800万酒精使用障碍患者中，只有2.5%的人能获得有助于控制酗酒或戒酒的药物。
于是我创立了Oar Health，希望填补这一空白。我们帮助受酗酒问题困扰的人联系医疗专业人员，必要时获得处方，并持续获得支持以实现目标。
最近，我在一则电视广告中讲述了自己成瘾和康复的经历。其实公开承认酒精曾影响我的工作、健康和人际关系，让我很紧张。但我希望其他人能因我的故事有所启发，勇敢迈步走向康复。
广告播出后，数千人找来渴望了解更多信息。其中有些人已开始治疗，饮酒量逐渐减少或彻底戒了酒。
然而，匿名戒酒会的成员听到我的故事后并不那么满意。一些人留下了激烈的留言：
• “今天有多少看了你广告的人被你害死了？”
• “你真可耻，竟然推销骗人的药。”
• “你在推荐什么？不过是另一种让人依赖的东西，最后还不是像酒精一样让人上瘾。”
但他们忽略了一点，纳曲酮是安全有效的药物，经美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准，且不会让人上瘾。
还有一些人坚称，匿名戒酒会是治疗酒精使用障碍唯一正规的途经。但事实上，匿名戒酒会在药物辅助治疗并无明确立场，其官方资料还明确指出“任何匿名戒酒会成员都不应‘扮演医生的角色’”。
我能理解人们对曾帮助自己的方法非常认同。匿名戒酒会是个很棒的组织，过往成绩令人钦佩。90年来，该组织在几乎所有国家帮助过数百万人，而且完全免费。
但如果偏执地认为康复途径只有一种，这种想法有弊无利。
每个人都有权选择适合自己的解决方案
事实上，万灵药并不存在。不管是匿名戒酒会、纳曲酮还是其他方法都不是。真正有效的是多种有循证依据的工具，包括处方药、专业的行为医疗服务（如心理治疗或咨询）还有互助支持小组。
我相信每个人都有权利也有责任，找到适合自己的康复“工具箱”。如果某种方法没什么效果，换一种理所应当。
“我发现12步戒酒疗法并不适合我，”一位女士告诉我。她没有放弃也没有自责，而是选择尝试药物治疗。“自从开始吃纳曲酮，我的生活发生了巨大改变，”她表示。“我喝酒的习惯变得健康多了。现在每周只喝三杯酒，每次最多一杯葡萄酒或一杯伏特加。”
重要的是，多数有循证依据的治疗方案并非相互排斥，而是可以互补。很多人将药物辅助治疗与参与匿名戒酒会、SMART Recovery、Moderation Management 或其他互助支持小组结合。他们的康复“工具箱”中，既有针对成瘾生化基础的药物，也有能巩固康复效果的社区支持、人际联结和责任监督机制。
正如一位成员所说：“我曾参加匿名戒酒会项目，凭借强大的意志力坚持戒了一年。然而酒的诱惑一直困扰着我，从未真正消失。后来我又酗酒了。规律服用纳曲酮后，我才感觉真正挣脱了对酒精的渴望。”
药物并不是该成员唯一的工具。“心理咨询、匿名戒酒会项目、对自己诚实、家人的支持，我想过健康清醒生活的愿望，再加上药物作用，都是我最终保持清醒彻底戒酒的重要因素。”
我相信，哪怕最狂热的匿名戒酒会成员，与我的目标都是一致的。我们都希望帮助美国数百万酒精使用障碍患者顺利康复。要实现目标，我认为不应再浪费时间互相指责，应该帮助有需要的人了解各种治疗方案。就像成瘾治疗领域的倡导者所说：“我们都能康复”，只是路径各不相同罢了。（*）
乔纳森·亨特-格拉斯曼是Oar Health创始人兼首席执行官，该公司提供线上医疗服务，通过药物辅助帮人们减少酗酒或彻底戒酒。
Fortune.com上评论文章中表达的观点仅代表作者个人观点，并不代表《财富》杂志的观点和立场。
译者：梁宇
审校：夏林
我酗酒成瘾超15年。高中和大学时期开始豪饮，逐渐变成断片、进急诊室、懊悔与羞耻的无尽循环。等到身边同龄人逐渐成熟不再酗酒，我还是泥潭深陷。狂饮和断片的时间越来越长，身体和心理健康问题也愈发严重。
我试过12步戒酒会、心理治疗，也向医生寻求过帮助，但效果一直不佳。后来医生给我开了安全有效能帮助控制酗酒或戒酒的纳曲酮，情况才有所好转。纳曲酮被推荐用于酒精使用障碍，我终于能控制自己酗酒的毛病了。
在吃药控制方面有困难的并非我一个。在2800万酒精使用障碍患者中，只有2.5%的人能获得有助于控制酗酒或戒酒的药物。
于是我创立了Oar Health，希望填补这一空白。我们帮助受酗酒问题困扰的人联系医疗专业人员，必要时获得处方，并持续获得支持以实现目标。
最近，我在一则电视广告中讲述了自己成瘾和康复的经历。其实公开承认酒精曾影响我的工作、健康和人际关系，让我很紧张。但我希望其他人能因我的故事有所启发，勇敢迈步走向康复。
广告播出后，数千人找来渴望了解更多信息。其中有些人已开始治疗，饮酒量逐渐减少或彻底戒了酒。
然而，匿名戒酒会的成员听到我的故事后并不那么满意。一些人留下了激烈的留言：
• “今天有多少看了你广告的人被你害死了？”
• “你真可耻，竟然推销骗人的药。”
• “你在推荐什么？不过是另一种让人依赖的东西，最后还不是像酒精一样让人上瘾。”
但他们忽略了一点，纳曲酮是安全有效的药物，经美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准，且不会让人上瘾。
还有一些人坚称，匿名戒酒会是治疗酒精使用障碍唯一正规的途经。但事实上，匿名戒酒会在药物辅助治疗并无明确立场，其官方资料还明确指出“任何匿名戒酒会成员都不应‘扮演医生的角色’”。
我能理解人们对曾帮助自己的方法非常认同。匿名戒酒会是个很棒的组织，过往成绩令人钦佩。90年来，该组织在几乎所有国家帮助过数百万人，而且完全免费。
但如果偏执地认为康复途径只有一种，这种想法有弊无利。
每个人都有权选择适合自己的解决方案
事实上，万灵药并不存在。不管是匿名戒酒会、纳曲酮还是其他方法都不是。真正有效的是多种有循证依据的工具，包括处方药、专业的行为医疗服务（如心理治疗或咨询）还有互助支持小组。
我相信每个人都有权利也有责任，找到适合自己的康复“工具箱”。如果某种方法没什么效果，换一种理所应当。
“我发现12步戒酒疗法并不适合我，”一位女士告诉我。她没有放弃也没有自责，而是选择尝试药物治疗。“自从开始吃纳曲酮，我的生活发生了巨大改变，”她表示。“我喝酒的习惯变得健康多了。现在每周只喝三杯酒，每次最多一杯葡萄酒或一杯伏特加。”
重要的是，多数有循证依据的治疗方案并非相互排斥，而是可以互补。很多人将药物辅助治疗与参与匿名戒酒会、SMART Recovery、Moderation Management 或其他互助支持小组结合。他们的康复“工具箱”中，既有针对成瘾生化基础的药物，也有能巩固康复效果的社区支持、人际联结和责任监督机制。
正如一位成员所说：“我曾参加匿名戒酒会项目，凭借强大的意志力坚持戒了一年。然而酒的诱惑一直困扰着我，从未真正消失。后来我又酗酒了。规律服用纳曲酮后，我才感觉真正挣脱了对酒精的渴望。”
药物并不是该成员唯一的工具。“心理咨询、匿名戒酒会项目、对自己诚实、家人的支持，我想过健康清醒生活的愿望，再加上药物作用，都是我最终保持清醒彻底戒酒的重要因素。”
我相信，哪怕最狂热的匿名戒酒会成员，与我的目标都是一致的。我们都希望帮助美国数百万酒精使用障碍患者顺利康复。要实现目标，我认为不应再浪费时间互相指责，应该帮助有需要的人了解各种治疗方案。就像成瘾治疗领域的倡导者所说：“我们都能康复”，只是路径各不相同罢了。（*）
乔纳森·亨特-格拉斯曼是Oar Health创始人兼首席执行官，该公司提供线上医疗服务，通过药物辅助帮人们减少酗酒或彻底戒酒。
Fortune.com上评论文章中表达的观点仅代表作者个人观点，并不代表《财富》杂志的观点和立场。
译者：梁宇
审校：夏林
I was addicted to alcohol for more than 15 years. What started as binge drinking in high school and college became a pattern of blackouts, emergency room visits, regret and shame. As peers grew up and put excessive alcohol use in the rear view mirror, the opposite happened for me. Binges and blackouts got longer, and the physical and mental health symptoms got more severe.
I tried 12-step meetings, therapy and asking doctors for help. But nothing worked for me until I was prescribed safe, effective medication proven to help people reduce or quit drinking. With some help from naltrexone, a recommended frontline medication for alcohol use disorder, I was finally able to take back control over alcohol.
I am far from alone in struggling to get access to medication. Only 2.5% of the 28 million people with alcohol use disorder are prescribed any medication to help them drink less or quit.
I started Oar Health to close that gap. We make it simple for people struggling with their drinking to connect with a medical professional, get a prescription if appropriate, and get ongoing support to meet their goals.
Recently, I told my story of addiction and recovery in a TV commercial. I was nervous about telling the world that alcohol had affected my job, health and relationships. But I hoped that others might see aspects of themselves in my story, making it easier for them to take a step toward recovery.
Since the ad launched, we’ve heard from thousands of people eager to learn more. Some have already started treatment and begun to drink less or quit entirely.
However, there’s one group of people who aren’t so happy to hear my story: AA members. Some of the more vitriolic responses have been:
• “How many people did you kill today that watched your commercial?”
• “Shame on you for selling a scam pill like this.”
• “What do you offer? Another substance to use as a crutch and become addicted to, much like alcohol itself.”
Never mind that naltrexone is safe, effective, FDA-approved and not addictive.
We’ve also heard from people who insist that AA is the only legitimate way to recover from alcohol use disorder. Even though AA takes no official position on medication-assisted treatment and instructs that “no AA member should ‘play doctor’” in its official literature.
I can’t blame people for feeling loyalty to the approach that helped them. AA is an amazing organization with an inspiring track record: millions of people helped across its 90 year history in almost every country on earth — all for free.
But it’s counterproductive to insist that there is only one way to recover.
Everyone has the right to their own solution
The truth is that there is no silver bullet — neither AA nor naltrexone nor anything else. Rather, there are multiple evidence-based tools that can help, including prescription medication, professional behavioral healthcare like therapy or counseling, and mutual peer support groups.
I believe that every person has the right, and responsibility, to assemble the recovery toolkit that fits them. When someone struggles to meet their goals through one approach, it is only logical to try another.
“I realized that the 12-step AA method was not the right fit for me,” one woman told me. Instead of giving up or blaming herself, she tried medication. “Since I started taking naltrexone, my life has undergone a significant transformation,” she reports. “I have made positive changes in my drinking habits. I limit myself to a glass of wine or one vodka only three times a week.”
Importantly, most evidence-based options are complementary rather than competitive. Many people combine medication-assisted treatment with participation in AA, SMART Recovery, Moderation Management or other mutual peer support groups. Their recovery toolkits combine medication that goes to work on the biochemical underpinnings of addiction with community, connection and accountability that reinforce their recovery.
As one member explained, “I’ve worked an AA program and achieved a year of sobriety with sheer willpower. However, the draw of drinking kept at me and remained in the background. I relapsed. Since incorporating naltrexone into my daily routine, I feel ‘unhitched’ from this draw.”
But medication is not his only tool. “Counseling, my AA program, being honest with myself, support from family, and my desire to lead a healthy and clear minded life — coupled with this medication — are important components to finally achieving a cemented sobriety.”
I am confident that all AA members, even the most zealous, have the same goal as I do: helping the millions of people in the US with alcohol use disorder recover. To do so, I suggest we spend less time tearing each other down and more time helping those in need to understand the full range of treatment options available to help them. As advocates like to say, “we do recover” — just in different ways.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.