Addiction is one of the nation's biggest public health problems, costing an estimated $524 billion each year. Millions of people never receive addiction treatment and of those that do, many struggle with relapse or find new addictions to replace the old ones. Whether you or someone you know is trying to quit smoking, overcome drug addiction, or confront problems with alcohol, sometimes the best way to win the battle against addiction is by attacking it from a number of angles.

While there is no proven replacement for counseling and attending a rehabilitation program or treatment facility, scientists are constantly discovering new ways to help people get and stay sober. A combination of will power, therapy, social support, and aids such as replacement therapies and pharmaceutical treatments can dramatically boost the odds of a successful recovery.

High-Tech Treatment Options
We use computers for everything these days, and substance abuse is no exception. A recent study by Yale University researchers, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, suggests that specially designed computer programs can help people in treatment overcome drug and alcohol dependence. When combined with standard drug counseling, study participants who received computer-based lessons in how to change their behavior failed fewer drug tests and stayed "clean" longer than those given standard therapy alone. The computer-based lessons included movies that portrayed real-life stressful scenarios, along with healthy suggestions for how to respond to those situations.

In addition, a number of high-tech products have hit the market to help people quit smoking. For example, scientists in China have introduced the Ruyan E-Cigarette, an electronic nicotine inhaler that looks and feels like a cigarette, and provides a small amount of nicotine (from 0 mg to 16 mg) without the harmful tars and toxins.

Although most people welcome any strategy that helps people overcome addiction, experts warn that these high-tech methods are not a "magic bullet" and must be used under doctor supervision, in conjunction with traditional therapies and counseling.