Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
The route of getting addicted to drugs varies a lot and it does not really matter how a person started taking those harmful drugs. The important thing is devising mechanisms on how one could eliminate the addiction completely from that person’s life.
There is a strong need to take steps in controlling the drug usage at a mass level. In many drug addicts, it simply starts with a normal prescription of a pain killer and stress reliever which afterwards become a regular intake to reduce stress.
People are shifted from opioid medicines to heroin because it is cheap and are relatively easily available as compared to getting a prescription for these risky medicines.
There is a misconception that opioid usage can be left with taper off technique as people do with cigarette smoking. It is possible to mellow down the urge of nicotine and finally quit the addiction but in case of heroin, a person cannot do so.
In fact, the extreme urge snatches his ability to refuse such drugs. Opioids cause certain changes in the human brain which ultimately lead to the craving for these harmful substances.
Can a Person Recover From Drug Addiction with MAT?
This is the first question that escalates in the mind when we read about different treatments available for the control of drug addiction. Well, the answer is positive.
There are research based and proven methods available that can help you battle with drug addiction under the supervision of a competent doctor. In the recovery process, it is very common to see relapses. It does not mean that a particular treatment, for example, Buprenophine treatment (the most common medicine used to treat the addiction) has failed. Relapse is just a phase and it should be dealt with carefully.
New methodologies, like MAT have reduced the proportion of setbacks to a significant level.
Why is the Recovery Procedure Difficult?
When an opioid addicted person is kept deprived of the drugs they are dependent on, their body starts feeling fragile. This is basically the withdrawal process in which the body starts to feel sick and then cravings are increased.
Combined with a craving for Opioids, the weak body finds no way to deal with the situation and the patient starts using the same drug to calm it down. That is why most addicted persons even after knowing the harmful effects of Opioids are not able to leave these drugs on their own, they need external help, like Medication-Assisted treatment.
Medication-Assisted Treatment Procedures
As mentioned, the recovery process of a drug addict is not simple. Majority of opioid treatment programs Orange County and in other places combine medication with counseling and therapy to bring the addicted person back to normal life.
Medically-Assisted treatment consists of a nice blend of these three treatments to help recovery and sustain it for a lifetime. As per statistics, over 2.5 million people suffer from Opioid use disorder and around 10% of them are addicted to Heroin.
These statistics are alarming and the number of drug habituated people is increasing with every passing day. This calls for the need of a well-planned medical treatment and MAT (medical-assisted treatment) is the right answer so far.
The top three medicines used in treating opioid addiction are:
- Methadone
- Naltrexone
- Buprenorphine
Therapies and counseling are a very important part of the treatment. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy allows the patient to deal with the circumstances in which he usually takes the drug. There are several opioid treatment programs Orange County and in other places that uses combination of these highly effective medicines and therapies with effective therapies and medicines such as Buprenorphine treatment it is possible to avoid these situations.
Motivational therapies are used to increase the willingness of patients to start the treatment. If a patient is not ready mentally, it will be an extremely difficult task to make them quit the Opioid abuse.
Contingency management is a very successful approach in dealing with drug addicted clients as well. This is positive reinforcement therapy in which patients are provided with rewards or benefits are discussed in one to one sessions to make them aware of the positive impact in their life.
It helps the patient to stay drug-free during the treatment sessions and even after that. This is also helpful in encouraging patients on taking the prescribed medications on a regular basis.
Does Medication-Assisted Treatment Work?
Some people consider medication-assisted treatment a wrong way to treat Opioid addiction with another drug that causes similar effects. In reality, there is a huge difference as these medicines work in a very different way.
Medications used in MAT help to restore brain functionality and relieve the patient of withdrawal symptoms caused by Opioid stoppage. These medications remain in the bloodstream for a longer time and thus do not produce an instant effect as opposed to the Heroin and other Opioids.
It is a similar medical treatment to how other chronic diseases are treated.
We are very confident that our proven expertise in the field of medication-assisted treatment can help you or your loved one recover and manage addiction.