For clients recovering from opioid and alcohol use disorders, finding the right treatment is essential. We offer a variety of treatment plans at our West Virginia and Delaware centers and tailor each plan to meet each client’s needs. The right road to recovery for you or your loved one may include the use of medication-assisted treatment or MAT.
The MAT approach combines therapy and case management with a supervised course of medication. Along with other medical professionals and experts in the recovery space, we believe there are many advantages to MAT. With the right medication and dosages, MAT helps clients maintain sobriety and stay on the road to long-term stability and success.
How Does Medication-Assisted Treatment Work?
Medication-assisted treatment, just like the name suggests, is a program that uses medications to “assist” other aspects of recovery like behavioral counseling. The medicines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and administered under the supervision of medical professionals.
Each medicine works to reduce physiological cravings for addictive substances like opioids, opiate-containing pain relievers, or alcohol. They can also treat dependency on synthetic opioids like oxycodone.
Opioids and alcohol can change the chemistry of the brain over time if they’re used frequently enough, and medication-assisted treatment works to rebalance brain chemistry safely in a supervised environment. With diminished cravings, clients in MAT are less likely to relapse than they would be in a program that requires complete drug abstinence.
The medications block the euphoric effect or “high” of certain drugs while limiting painful withdrawal symptoms. MAT medicines target specific substances. Suboxone and methadone are designed to curb opioid dependency, while Vivitrol works for both opioid and alcohol withdrawal.
Every patient’s treatment course will be different, but each medication is safe to use for short- and long-term periods. Our medical team monitors clients through their courses of MAT to make sure they’re getting the right dosages.
Advantages of Medication-Assisted Treatment
Compared to treatment that only uses behavioral intervention, medication-assisted treatment has a number of benefits, including:
- Curbing the physical discomfort of withdrawal symptoms
- Limiting cravings for addictive substances
- Reducing the risk of relapse and overdose
- Reducing the risk of infectious disease transmission
- Allowing some clients to recover on an outpatient basis without the need for inpatient detoxification
- Increasing the likelihood clients will stay in treatment
- Improving clients’ ability to retain employment
- Improving outcomes for clients who are pregnant
Importantly, clients in MAT also participate in behavioral interventions like therapy. There they can examine the root causes of their substance dependency and develop new coping skills. We emphasize “whole person” treatment, and in addition to finding the right medication, clients will work to change behavior patterns and practice healthy habits.
Recovery is a lifelong process. One of the biggest advantages of MAT is that its combined approach works to stabilize clients in body and mind — often well enough that they don’t need extended inpatient stays or repeated clinic admissions. Once clients and their care providers have found a medication schedule that works for them, they can continue treatment while maintaining other responsibilities like work, school, and community involvement.
MAT’s success rates have led more insurers to expand their coverage to include medication-assisted treatment. Still, we feel cost and insurance red tape should never be barriers to recovery. We accept Medicaid as well as private insurance, and these plans will often partially or completely cover the cost of treatment. We’ll work with you regardless of your financial situation.
Discover More at Lotus Recovery Centers
Our Prices Corner, Delaware and Comfort, West Virginia locations both offer safe, effective, and supervised medication-assisted treatment programs. Both centers provide Suboxone and Vivitrol treatment to qualifying clients. The Delaware center also offers methadone, a medication proven to curve opioid cravings and reduce the risk of relapse.
Medication is only one aspect of our comprehensive treatment, which focuses on the whole individual. Behavioral therapy sessions and ongoing case management help clients gain the skills they’ll need for a lifetime of successful recovery. And we’re committed to serving all clients, regardless of their income or financial status.
If you think MAT may be right for you, or you’d just like to learn more, contact Lotus Recovery Centers at 833.922.1615.
