Twelve-Year Follow-up of New York Narcotic Addicts

ALTHOUGH narcotic addiction often manifests itself as a social problem, its medical and psychiatric ramifications suggest that it may be classified as a chronic disease. Like other chronic processes, addiction leads to multiple hospitalizations, multiple remissions and multiple relapses. Although many causes have been implicated, addiction remains a malady of uncertain etiology and of still less certain cure.1 , 2 Like other chronic diseases, it not infrequently culminates in premature death and severely impairs both employment and reproductive capacity. However, unlike most chronic diseases, addiction remains a disease with a largely uncharted course.The intention of this paper is to outline the . . .