How to Figure Out if Medication-Assisted Treatment is Right for You
When you’ve developed a substance addiction, it’s imperative you seek professional help for your recovery because the withdrawal symptoms can be severe, even fatal if left unsupervised.
This is where medication-assisted treatment comes in. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a common component in substance use recovery programs, designed to help you overcome a drug or alcohol addiction and restore your health. It works to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, promote a safe detoxing process, and help your recovery be as smooth as possible.
The purpose of integrating MAT into your treatment plan is to provide you with the necessary tools to assist and sustain you on your journey to recovery.
What is medication-assisted treatment?
Medication-assisted treatment is the use of clinically assigned medication in addition to counseling and behavioral therapies in order to help someone overcome substance abuse. MAT will help alleviate withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and impulses and help your brain rebalance as it learns to function without a surplus of alcohol or drugs.
Depending on your background, severity of addiction, and whether you’re recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction, the type of medication you’re going to be prescribed will be different. But it will be equally as effective and complementary to your recovery.
MAT is integrated into your treatment plan in a way that’s been tailored to meet your unique needs—it’s used to treat substance abuse, ease the detox process, help sustain recovery, and prevent overdose.
How MAT works for alcohol and drug rehab
There are different kinds of medication-assisted treatments depending on whether you’re struggling with alcohol or drug misuse. Each type of medication is designed to help relieve withdrawal symptoms, ease psychological cravings, and even stabilize your brain chemistry.
Medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction — lessens the euphoric effects of the drug (therefore making it less desirable), which can prevent you from going into severe withdrawals after you stop using, as well as ease the detoxification process.
Medication-assisted treatment for alcohol addiction — works to relieve the initial cravings and discomfort that come with recovery, as well as help you avoid relapsing after you’ve undergone the official detoxification.
Higher success rate of rehabilitation
Medication-assisted treatment has become a highly sought-after form of treatment due to its variety of benefits, its most impressive benefit being, notably, its high success rate.
Some of the other benefits of MAT include:
- Alleviates uncomfortable or even painful withdrawal symptoms
- Less likely to relapse, as MAT decreases cravings
- Better chances of landing employment after rehab
- Decreased likelihood to engage in criminal or violent activities
- Greater potential to have a complete, healthy, sustainable recovery
Medication-assisted treatment, whether for drugs or alcohol, is one of the best ways you can have an easier, more stable, and more effective road to recovery.
Additional benefits of medication-assisted treatment
Besides the perks listed above, there are three additional benefits that might help make your decision of choosing MAT or not, easier.
First of all, MAT is affordable and is one of the most cost-effective resources for recovery. Many forms of addiction treatment are expensive, potentially leading people to think they cannot get any treatment, and therefore attempting recovery is pointless. While the cost can vary slightly depending on your unique situation, MAT is a significantly more affordable option.
The next benefit is that it allows you to maintain a greater sense of freedom. MAT can be an addition to a formal rehabilitation program or used as a standalone program; either way, it enables you to have less supervision and direct monitoring, as the medication continues to support you when you’re not actively in a clinical setting.
Lastly, MAT can help you bridge the gap between rehab and adjusting to individual living. Between the challenges of physical and mental recovery, it can be difficult to focus on maintaining sobriety once you’re out of a clinical setting. It can be a great and effective way to ease you into your new life without overwhelming you.
If you think MAT might be helpful to you on your road to recovery but you don’t like the idea of long-term medication, you aren’t alone.
The good news is this kind of medication is temporary, and is not meant to be a life-long prescription, but rather, a short-term form of aid and alleviation to assist you in your recovery.
Reach out for additional support
Medication-assisted treatment can help a variety of people on their journey to recovery, but it’s especially beneficial to those whose bodies have become overly dependent on the substance and need assistance and relief throughout the detoxing process.
If you think MAT is right for you, or you’d like to learn more about how it can help you on your journey to recovery, consider reaching out to our team here at Pyramid Healthcare. We believe in customizing a recovery treatment plan for you that encompasses medication, therapy, and education, to help you both during and after your rehabilitation.
