How We Use Medication-Assisted Treatment

When seeking treatment for opioid use disorders or substance use disorders, it can be overwhelming to find the best treatment option for you. At Healing Pines Recovery we have medication-assisted treatment (MAT) available that specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders. While MAT is most effective in treating opioid use disorders, it can also help you overcome alcohol dependency and other factors of addiction.

There are many times that you may feel alone in this process. It can be easy to feel shameful or guilty about your past decisions and lower your self-esteem. Keep in mind that as of 2022, three million US citizens and 16 million individuals worldwide have experienced or are suffering from opioid use disorders. Each of these individuals has the potential to feel the same way, however, you are not alone. At Healing Pines, we provide a judgment-free zone to help you establish a healthy and safe recovery plan.

Benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can bring up a lot of questions for those in recovery, such as:

• How does it work?
• What are the benefits?
• What are the risks?
• How can it help with recovery?

To begin answering these questions, MAT uses FDA-approved and certified medications in correlation with other types of therapies to help you overcome an opioid use disorder. It can also be used to help overcome alcohol dependency and other substance use disorders. The goals of this type of treatment are to improve patient survival, lower the risks of health problems associated with opioid use, and combat the feelings of withdrawal and cravings.

MAT can also benefit you while in recovery if you have concerns about using medications with an opioid/substance use disorder or if you are worried about dangerous health issues that can occur after the use of opioids or other substances. Throughout this type of treatment, Healing Pines Recovery ensures that you have the guidance and help from our team of expert medical professionals. Through years of proven experience with MAT, we are focused on providing you with the best care available.

Combining With Other Therapies

Establishing a healthy and safe recovery plan is one of the main goals at Healing Pines Recovery. Not only do we use MAT, but we also tie it in with the other treatment and therapy programs as well to provide you with the full benefits. Some of the other treatment options Healing Pines may include with MAT include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: CBT is a type of therapy that is solution-focused. This psychotherapy helps you to identify the negative thoughts you may have and rework them into positive thoughts that are more beneficial to your mental health.
• Dialectical behavior therapy: DBT is a therapy that focuses on self-acceptance and positive change in your life. DBT also includes a combination of individual therapy and group skills training.
• Eye movement desensitization therapy: EMDR is a type of therapy that uses a series of eye movements and sounds over several sessions to help you process through and manage trauma. Throughout these sessions, a therapist will help you process traumatic memories while working away from negative feelings or stress associated with the memory.
• Family therapy: Family therapy focuses on building a deeper connection with your family members. It can be great to help them understand what addiction and/or substance abuse is and how to adapt to the changes that recovery will bring.

Along with these treatment programs, Healing Pines Recovery offers different holistic approaches to therapy that can benefit you as well. Combining MAT with other types of treatment can help to ensure you are getting exactly what you need to overcome your addiction and are receiving a personalized treatment plan catered to you.

What Is the Evidence?

When considering the use of medication-assisted treatment, you may wonder about its effectiveness and evidence supporting this type of treatment. There have been various medical professionals that have researched the effectiveness of MAT on individuals suffering from opioid/substance use disorders, as well as helping some who have an alcohol dependency. SAMHSA provides a list of the medications that are used in MAT and specifies what specific substance abuse disorders these medications can help with.

Along with the published medical evidence supporting medication-assisted treatment, MAT is also endorsed by the National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Associations. There is a stigma behind MAT that there is a high potential of substituting one addiction for another, however, this is not the case. It can be dangerous and even life-threatening to detox without medication-assisted treatments. Healing Pines works with you to make sure that all your medications are regulated and taken responsibly.

There is no shame in seeking help to overcome an opioid use disorder, alcohol addiction, or substance use disorder. MAT is a clinically effective way to assist with recovery. MAT can be a great addition to your recovery plan at Healing Pines.

Opioid use disorders can be difficult to handle on your own while in recovery. Through the use of medication-assisted treatment, you can receive personalized medications and therapy to help live a life that is opioid and/or alcohol and medication free. While MAT is most effective against opioid use disorders, it can also help with alcohol dependency.

At Healing Pines Recovery, the medications used in the MAT program are FDA-approved and have been certified by industry experts. Our goal is to decrease the risk of an overdose occurring and help with feelings of withdrawal and cravings. MAT also goes hand in hand with other highly effective therapy programs that Healing Pines has available.

If you or someone you know who identifies as male are struggling to overcome opioid addiction and are seeking additional treatment, please reach out to Healing Pines today at (720) 575-2621.