For some, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is still controversial. Many cling to an old belief that MAT is a replacement drug for those with an addiction, but it is not. MAT can help people stay alive, stay in treatment and produce better results throughout their lives. What exactly is MAT and can it help you?
What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
MAT is an evidence-based treatment that helps to normalize the brain’s chemistry after substance abuse, such as a heroin addiction. The medications utilized can relieve physiological cravings, as well as help body functions return to normal without the highs that the drug produces and without the terrible withdrawal symptoms that occur during detox, treatment and recovery.
MAT for Opioid Addiction
The opioid epidemic has become a major health crisis in the United States. Heroin addiction, prescription painkiller addiction and other opioid addictions have destroyed families, relationships, careers and far too many lives. By using MAT for opioid and heroin treatment, medications can help you to be more successful in your recovery from your addiction and increase your ability to live independently. MAT helps people remain in treatment and can prevent or reduce dangerous opioid overdoses.
Medications used for opioid and heroin treatment include:
- Buprenorphine
- Methadone
- Naltrexone
The development of these medications for opioid and heroin treatment is a game-changer. MAT takes a seemingly impossible task and makes it manageable. When used alongside counseling and therapy in a treatment program, MAT can help change your life or even save it.
MAT for Alcohol Addiction
Learning how to beat addictions is hard, and for some people who struggle with alcohol addiction, MAT can help them to be more successful in their treatment and long-term recovery. These medications can help provide relief from withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings to help you succeed in your treatment and recovery goals. For those who have struggled for a long time, MAT can help give them an edge to finally be successful.
Medications used to treat alcohol addiction include:
- Acamprosate
- Disulfiram
- Naltroxene
Why MAT Helps with Withdrawal Symptoms
One of the most difficult parts of the opioid epidemic has been that people struggle with the intense withdrawal symptoms involved in opioid and heroin addiction. MAT is able to reduce these symptoms by normalizing brain and body chemistry, thus lowering both the intensity and number of symptoms. This increases your chances of working through the withdrawal process by making it more manageable.
Why MAT Can Help You Stay in Recovery
In addition to decreased withdrawal symptoms, MAT can help reduce the amount and intensity of cravings as well. When you are learning how to beat addictions, cravings can be powerful and difficult to overcome without relapsing. Medications that lower cravings increase your ability to stay in recovery. The medications are safe for long-term or even lifetime use if necessary, providing you with extra support in preventing addiction relapse.
How MAT Can Save Lives
Due to the large number of people who have overdosed during the opioid epidemic, the drug Naloxone has been developed to quickly reverse the toxic effects of an opioid overdose. Doctors have been advocating for the ability to access this life-saving medication without a prescription and first responders keep Naloxone on hand to be able to save lives. MAT can also help pregnant women to break free of drug and alcohol addiction and help save the lives of their babies or improve their chances of being healthy.
How MAT Can Help You
The use of MAT to help treat addiction is an important step forward. In addition to the tried and true method of therapy, counseling and education to support your addiction treatment, MAT gives you an edge by addressing the chemical and physiological components that are extremely difficult for so many people to overcome. By allowing you to heal physiologically as well as emotionally, your chances of a successful recovery can increase.
Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction can help you avoid further potential physical as well as legal consequences. MAT can help you to not only overcome your addiction but to ensure a more successful life. MAT can be a lifesaver and can help you take control of your life.
What is medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and can it help me? MAT can reduce the physiological symptoms of withdrawal as well as cravings and help normalize your body’s chemistry to allow you to be more successful in your initial treatment. Using MAT can help you maintain your long-term recovery by reducing cravings and helping you maintain your recovery goals. MAT can be lifesaving as well. DiscoveryMD has outpatient treatment programs to help you overcome alcohol, opioid or heroin addiction. We offer MAT to those who need it to help them through treatment for substance use. We know that treatment is hard, and we want to give you every advantage for success. Our compassionate staff will help you access counseling, therapy, MAT or other support in our outpatient setting, allowing you to keep your personal and professional commitments as you work through treatment. At DiscoveryMD, our goal is to put you back into the driver’s seat of your life. Contact us today.