The International Harm Reduction Conference in Barcelona hosted a ‘User’s Choice’ session on Ibogaine. It is defined in Wikipedia as "a naturally-occurring psychoactive compound found in a number of plants in nature.. Ibogaine-containing preparations are used in medicinal and ritual purposes by African spiritual traditions.. In recent times it has been identified as having anti-addictive properties.

Drug and alcohol withdrawal can be a painful process. Several neural and hormonal systems are affected by substance abuse, and when it ends they are thrown into confusion.

With a relapse rate of 80 percent to 90 percent, it's clear that most traditional treatments don't work for many addicts. So a still small but growing number of addiction treatment programs are adding medications to their toolboxes.

While you may feel that you can escape the reign of drug mania and that you will not get involved in the overprescribing and overmedicating, beware, for
even the most cautious and dedicated health enthusiasts, who exercise regularly, eat healthfully, and meditate, can be swept into this medical abyss.

Getting sober is difficult, staying sober is even harder. In the early weeks and months of recovery, many of us experience distressing physical, mental and emotional ... There are several medications that can help us avoid slips and relapses in early recovery and allow us to begin to heal mentally, physically, and spiritually.
 

These drugs are commonly prescribed in treatment as a means of "treating" depression or "bi-polar' "disorder. The following list shows reasons we do not use medications for treatment, and why many times these treatments are completely ineffective.

An overview of treatment medications such as Disulfiram, Naltrexone, Acamprosate, Methadone, Buprenorphine and others.

Studies show that people who took naltrexone did better in several areas of recovery: Had significantly lower craving scores; Stayed in treatment longer; Had better outcomes...

Pharmacotherapies for Substance-Abuse Treatment: The Beginning of a New Era, By Richard A. Rawson, PhD, Michael J. McCann, MA and Albert L. Hasson, MSW, from Counselors Magazine.

From Dr. DeLuca's Site: In answer to the question: "Are there medications that can help me reach my sobriety goals?" allow me to direct your attention first to a patient handout I wrote years ago for Smithers and have revised several times.