Medication-assisted treatment can help you achieve lasting sobriety.
Are you looking for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Morriston, Florida? This guide will help answer your questions about this form of treatment and whether it can help you with an opioid use disorder or alcohol problem.
Past responses to the opioid epidemic in the United States didn’t do enough to address the physical complications that come with substance abuse. Medication-assisted treatment helps people overcome their addictions by administering medications that slowly reduce the brain’s dependence on opioid drugs. When used to treat opioid addiction, medication-assisted therapy can produce better results than traditional opioid treatment programs.
Mental health facilities in Florida are an important aspect of medication-assisted treatment because once you’ve broken your physical dependence on a substance, you need to learn what triggers your cravings and how you can respond in a healthy way.
It’s a common misconception that alcohol abuse can’t be treated with medication, but people struggling with alcoholism can be treated in a manner similar to those with opioid use disorders. Medication-assisted treatment uses medicines that are meant to reduce the severity of symptoms while gradually weaning patients off the substance they’re addicted to.
One of the reasons many people fail to quit using addictive substances is that they attempt to do so “cold turkey.” The body can’t handle the sudden change and begins to crave alcohol or opioid medications. If you attempt to quit without assistance, you could begin to feel restless, nauseous and irritable. You may experience shakes, sweating and other severe withdrawal symptoms.
Many people return to alcohol or drugs to stop feeling the uncomfortable side effects of quitting, despite a desire to quit. Their failure has nothing to do with a lack of willpower. Withdrawal symptoms can be so severe in some cases that the person with an alcohol or opioid use disorder needs to seek medical attention.
Medication-assisted treatment works if patients are able to address the underlying mental health problems that made them turn to drugs or alcohol to begin with. The first step is to use FDA-approved medications to treat the physical aspect of the addiction. Your health care provider may prescribe buprenorphine or methadone treatment for your substance use disorder.
The next step is to speak with a therapist about what triggers your addiction and develop coping skills so you’re less likely to return to substances. Cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy and family therapy are all options you can take advantage of to build a support network and know when to seek help when you’re tempted to use.
Medication-assisted treatment isn’t limited to opioid addiction treatment. If you’re struggling with an alcohol problem, you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms similar to someone with an opioid use disorder. The same treatment methodology applies regardless of what substance use disorder you suffer from. Health care providers want to help you reduce cravings and wean you from the substance while offering supporting psychiatric care.
At Transformations Mending Fences, we offer multiple approaches to treat each person’s alcohol and substance abuse disorder. Whether you’re worried about the impact that excessive drinking is having on your life or fear an eventual opioid overdose if you don’t get help, we’re here for you. Our substance disorder treatment options include:
Whether you’re looking for assistance with a drug or alcohol abuse problem or worried about someone you care about, give us a call today at (888) 995-6013 to learn more about our programs.
