Trying to overcome an drug addiction or alcohol addiction can be one of the most challenging and difficult tasks that any individual embarks upon. At The Redpoint Center, our drug rehab in Longmont Colorado, we understand the challenge that our clients are up against when they try to quit using their substance of choice. We also believe that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, and just “quitting”, is an outdated idea that is not effective.
Successful recovery from a substance use disorder requires many different interventions. I like the use of analogies, and often compare successful recovery from substance abuse to recovery from a medical condition such as a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
If a person suffers a heart attack, which is the result of a blockage in one of the arteries that supplies the heart with blood, I would offer a variety of interventions to help this person recover. This person would be started on an exercise regimen, a heart-healthy diet, instructed to reduce stress and get adequate amounts of sleep, and given medications to help with blood pressure and heart rate, cholesterol and a type of blood thinner as a part of a comprehensive recovery plan.
At The Redpoint Center we understand that recovery from substance use disorders and addiction is no different. We offer a variety of addiction interventions, including group and individual therapy, coaching and case management, family support, health and wellness instruction and medical evaluation and follow-up. Sometimes medications are necessary and extremely helpful, when used in conjunction with the above interventions, to help an individual stop using a substance they are addicted to and find a path to recovery.
At The Redpoint Center, we have a full-time, board certified physician on staff that cares for our clients. Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is sometimes used to help our clients stop using an addictive substance, if it is indicated.
SAHMSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, defines Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, as the use of FDA approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.
MAT is always supervised by a physician on a case-by-case basis. At our addiction treatment center, all of our clients are evaluated by our medical director on admission, where the pros and cons of medication assisted treatment is typically discussed. MAT can be used in many ways to help people stop using their drug of choice. We believe that MAT is most successful when used in conjunction with other treatments.
Most people think of MAT as drugs used to help with withdrawal symptoms or cravings. There are many drugs available for these purposes, and physicians can prescribe medications to help with withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, cannabis, and nicotine, to name a few. There are also medications that can be prescribed that will block the effects of drugs if they are used, which is another common strategy. One medication which has had a lot of publicity recently is Suboxone otherwise known as Buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is used in MAT to help people quick using heroin or other opiates. The benefits of Suboxone is that it contains the anti-craving medication buprenorphine as well as naloxone, an abuse deterrent drug.
But Medication Assisted Treatment can also include the treatment of co-occurring conditions, especially mental health conditions, that can make it difficult to abstain from the use of substances if the substances are being used to treat symptoms of the mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
At The Redpoint Center, we evaluate every individual on a case by case basis to see if MAT is something that would be helpful for our clients. Our medical director spends time with each client individually, explaining the pros and cons of the suggested medical treatment if one is recommended. In some cases, clients are resistant to the idea of medications, because they feel like they are “cheating” in some way. However, we believe the opposite to be true. Addiction is an illness, and MAT can in many cases make recovery from a substance use disorder possible in cases where it once seemed insurmountable.
There are many aspects of recovery from a substance use disorder, and MAT is only one of these tools, but it is a very important tool that The Redpoint Center takes very seriously.
Some of the MAT options that are available at The Redpoint Center, Longmonts premier drug rehab:
- Suboxone
- Vivitrol
- Antabuse
- Naltrexone
- Depression Medications
- Anxiety Medications
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, drug addiction, Mental Health problems, The Redpoint Center is here to help. The Redpoint Center treats both adults and youth struggling with addiction and alcohol. To learn more about our Longmont Drug Rehab, call 888-509-3153.
