It's a chronic illness that has no cure

YOUR NOV. 9 story on the death of Dr. Brent Cambron ("Something, anything to stop the pain") glossed over the complexities and realities of drug addiction, choosing instead to give readers a sensationalized story of a doctor gone bad on drugs.

Addiction is not a disease that can be cured; rather, it is a chronic illness that has no cure. The patient needs constant follow-up care with his or her treatment physician.

The article seems to place the blame solely on Cambron, while failing to mention that he was not participating in a meaningful system involving constant care and lifelong monitoring.

A recent study on alcoholism by the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Germany found that only 6 to 20 percent of patients are abstinent after two years of study. It concluded that alcoholism (and by extension, drug addiction) "is a chronic and relapsing disease similar to other chronic conditions such as hypertension or diabetes."

Hopefully, Cambron's tragic story can serve as a reminder that recognizing and properly treating the long-term, addictive power of drugs is far more important than any perceived flaws or weaknesses of the user.

Dr. Punyamurtula Kishore
President and founder
The National Library of Addictions
Brookline