There is a lot of misinformation and stigma around medication-assisted treatment (MAT), the practice of utilizing medication to help people stop using alcohol and other drugs. This false narrative has made it more difficult for people to access potentially life-saving medications that can reduce their risk of relapsing.
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we offer a wide range of treatments, to meet the needs of people who are recovering from addiction to alcohol, prescription drugs, opioids, cocaine, and more. We want to ensure that people struggling with addiction and their families have accurate information about the various treatments that exist.
How Does Medication-Assisted Treatment Work?
At this time, MAT is primarily used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). There are several different medications used in MAT, with new ones being developed all the time, and there are also different ways that these medications can help a person in recovery. Different FDA-approved MAT drugs may do some of the following:
- Block the euphoric effects of a drug
- Decrease psychological cravings
- Relieve physiological cravings
- Normalize body functions
- Ease withdrawal symptoms
- Normalize brain chemistry
- Reverse an overdose
People who utilize medications to support their addiction recovery may use the prescription medication for months, years, or the rest of their lives. It depends on their unique recovery needs.
Benefits of MAT
Research has shown that MAT when combined with mental health therapy and substance abuse treatment, can improve treatment outcomes. These include:
- Increasing patient survival rates
- Allowing patients to stay in treatment longer
- Decreasing use of illicit opiates
- Decreasing criminal activity
- Increasing rates of employment
- Improving birth outcomes among women who have had substance use disorders while pregnant
- Lower risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis C
MAT Myths
Even though MAT has now been around for a long time and many lives have been saved as a result, there are still lingering misconceptions about how it works. Some of the most common MAT myths include:
- MAT just replaces one addiction with another – MAT medications don’t cause a high. They help manage cravings, withdrawal, and the brain and body damage caused by past substance use, supporting long-term recovery.
- People on MAT aren’t really in recovery – Recovery is still hard work, even with medication. Addiction is a chronic disease, not a moral failing, and medication can be a necessary tool for managing it, much like insulin for diabetes.
- MAT is easily abused – MAT medications don’t produce euphoric effects, making them ineffective for getting high. Even when obtained illegally, they are often used to help individuals stop using opioids.
- People can easily overdose on MAT drugs – Unlike illegal street drugs, medication-assisted treatment medications are regulated by the FDA, ensuring consistent potency and safety. Street drugs, often tampered with, pose a higher overdose risk due to unknown dosages and substances. MAT access is also tightly controlled to prevent misuse.
Barriers and Risks Associated With MAT
MAT is not available everywhere. Rural areas, in particular, have struggled to provide this option to people in recovery, due to:
- A shortage of doctors who are trained and authorized to prescribe medication-assisted treatment
- Lack of comprehensive addiction programs
- Transportation issues or cost
- Stigma surrounding medication-assisted treatment
All medications carry some risk and MAT drugs are no exception. The primary risk is from misuse. If a person were to utilize their MAT prescription and then misuse other substances, they could potentially overdose. For this reason, it is important to never mix illicit substances or unprescribed opiates with MAT and it is important to share with your primary care doctor if you are utilizing MAT to aid your recovery.
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we take a whole-person approach to addiction treatment, with many traditional and cutting-edge interventions available. Our patients and their families are an integral part of the treatment planning process, from intake and admission through discharge.