Why Medication-Assisted Drug Treatment Works

Drug dependencies are surprisingly easy to develop but are extremely hard to overcome, and many people who seek drug rehabilitation services end up right back where they were beforehand. Today, clinics offer medication-assisted drug treatment, and this form of treatment offers great results for opioid use disorder treatment. If you are ready to quit for good and want help, you should consider using a medication-assisted program.

What Is a Medication-Assisted Program?

Getting into full recovery is not an easy task, and this is primarily because of the effects drugs have on the brain. While all drugs have different effects, most target the reward center in the brain. This is what causes a high, and this is what attracts people to drugs.

The problem with this is that when a person begins using drugs, the drugs alter the person’s brain. After a while, the brain stops making the normal chemicals it used to make, and this is part of what really causes an addiction. Without the brain producing these chemicals, using drugs is the only way to feel good, or even normal.

A medication-assisted drug treatment program helps people break this cycle with medications. These medications are able to bind to the receptors in the brain, thereby eliminating (at a therapeutic dose) withdrawal symptoms. On a stable therapeutic dose, the high and the withdrawal can be eliminated leaving the patient to develop the life and lifestyle they choose. While still dependent on the medication, the illegal, chaotic, and unstable routine of the drug-addicted lifestyle is eliminated.

Why Do These Work?

If an addict receives the right type of medication at a therapeutic dose, he or she may not experience any withdrawal symptoms at all. There are several types of medications used for this form of drug treatment, and the two most common ones are methadone and Suboxone. Each type binds to the receptors in the brain, making it easier for the person to stop using illegal drugs.

Does This Offer Instant Results?

Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for drug abuse that offers instant results. It is well established that drug addiction a disease, and treating a disease is not something that happens overnight. In fact, it often takes months or even years to fully recover from drug addiction.

With the help of medication, those with the disease of addiction can slowly overcome the addiction. While getting doses of the medication, he or she can begin working on other parts of their lives through counseling and making changes. For example, the addict can begin focusing on emotional and spiritual issues. Next, he or she might be ready to work on vocation, education, or social and recreational activities.

At that point, they may want to begin considering lowering the dosage of the medication and slowly eliminating it altogether. It takes time for this to happen. However, statistics show that the majority of patients do better remaining in medication-assisted treatment and those leaving treatment may have a hard time sustaining recovery.

If you are tired of depending on illegal, harmful drugs to get by, contact Central Florida Treatment Centers. We can help you break your addiction if you are serious about it, and we offer personalized treatment plans for each person that comes for help. Call us today to begin a brand-new way of life that will be healthy and lead to a better future.