Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the combination of counseling and behavioral therapies with FDA approved medication prescribed by a physician to help treat substance use disorder. Each client’s medication is clinically tailored to suit their specific needs. It is meant to give you a hand in getting sober, and can last for as short or as long as needed. Studies have shown that the combination of the two can help you on the road of recovery, and to help curb overdoses.
Medication Assisted Treatment
What is Medication Assisted Treatment?
How does Medication Assisted Treatment work?
On top of counseling, MAT helps your body adjust to not using substances, and can help increase your chances of recovery. The idea is to help to become self-sufficient in your sobriety, and to help decrease your chances of a relapse. The medications, like Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone for Opioid addiction, Acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone for Alcoholism, help with physical withdrawal and cravings that could be dangerous, as well as help decrease the chances of an overdose.
How will Medication Assisted Treatment help my addiction?
MAT can help your addiction by offering you an alternative to illicit substances. For Opioid Addiction, medications can stop your body from being able to process opioids in any way, taking that option away completely. On top of that, medications can help with withdrawal and cravings, making your sobriety that much easier.
According to SAMHSA, MAT has been shown to:
- Improve patient survival
- Increase retention in treatment
- Decrease illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders
- Increase patients’ ability to gain and maintain employment
- Improve birth outcomes among women who have substance use disorders and are pregnant
Source: www.samhsa.gov, www.fda.gov