AI and drug addiction

Drug overdose is currently the number one cause of death among Americans under the age of 50, and less than 10% of the 24 million Americans who need help for addiction have ever received it. Artificial Intelligence may seem to be the missing piece in the arsenal of today’s medical professionals in dealing with the drug abuse crisis.

The unique Addicaid app, created by recovering addict Sam Frons, is designed to help people with substance abuse problems and process disorders (such as food, gambling, Internet, pornography, and sexual addiction) recover from their addictions.

Using a combination of machine learning, adaptive artificial intelligence, and clinical research, Addicaid predicts when a person may be at risk of falling into addiction and offers customized treatment options for that person. For example, if a user is in a triggering place (a bar or club), the app will immediately intervene, sending information to a hotline and providing coping tools to help prevent relapse.

A huge breakthrough has been crisis recognition. AI can already predict the likelihood of a suicide attempt. With some modifications to the algorithm, it can help determine not only the likelihood of a suicide attempt but also the degree of mental, physical, and emotional stress a person is under. AI can significantly help health care providers reach out to people who are in crisis due to substance abuse.

Another way in which AI is shaking up the addiction treatment industry is through follow-up treatment.AI can help connect you with sober peers. New algorithms are constantly being developed to help connect people with recovery groups.

As the alliance between biotechnology and information technology grows closer, analyzing a patient’s genetics becomes more relevant to treatment. As AI’s capabilities in genetic analysis grow, it may increasingly be used to determine the best course of treatment for patients seeking rehabilitation for addiction.