The Power of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) In Rehab

Deciding to check yourself into rehabilitation for substance abuse is a huge accomplishment. You are taking your life into your own hands and taking the steps towards a sober future. This decision is one that many do not make or get the chance to make, so there are many reasons to be proud of yourself.

Once you check yourself in, you may feel a wave of emotions. One relatively common thing is nervousness. People decide to go to rehabilitation, having no idea of what to expect. The fear of the unknown is enough to make some not even check-in to rehab, which is why the more you know before, the better you will feel.

One thing you may receive is medication-assisted treatment, otherwise known as MAT. This method of treatment is standard for those who suffer from substance abuse issues. And if you haven’t heard of it before, don’t stress. We cover everything you need to know here.

MAT, otherwise called medication-assisted treatment, is an effective method of treating those with substance abuse issues. It also can keep the recovery going long-term and prevent patients from relapsing and overdosing. But, MAT isn’t for every substance abuse problem. The method is mainly for those who have opioid addictions, opioids such as heroin, and prescription pain relief drugs.

MAT works to help those with substance abuse problems get sober and stay that way. It does this by helping the brain adapt to your new life. When someone abuses substances long enough, it affects the chemicals in the brain and almost rewires it. With medication-assisted treatment, your mind will become more normalized over time. What the medicine does is takes away any of the feel-good parts of the opiate you were abusing, taking away a big desire to use it. It also helps take away any feelings of needing the drug. When getting sober, many people experience lust over alcohol or the drugs that they are addicted to. But with the medical treatment, this craving decreases significantly. Another thing recovering addicts experience is withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are another reason why some may choose to go back to their addiction. However, the chance of relapse dramatically decreases when medicine curbs these withdrawal symptoms.

We have already established that medically-assisted treatment can help a lot with achieving sobriety and remaining sober; however, other factors help get those outcomes. MAT is so efficient because of its ability to be catered to every patient’s needs. There are various kinds of medications out there that are for different addiction scenarios. Some patients will receive different concoctions than others, depending on their needs. Using this form of treatment with other methods such as therapy gives a more individualistic approach, which proves time and time again to work wonders. Along with the benefits we have already mentioned, MAT can also help prevent diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. People who have addictions such as heroin tend to share needles with other people, one of the easiest ways to spread diseases because of the blood involved. The treatment option has also proven to keep many patients alive. A lot of people relapse and go back to their ways; staying sober is no easy task. The problem is that opiates such as pain killers and heroin can very easily be taken in a large dose and result in an overdose. It only takes one extra pill or one time for someone to end up in a deadly situation. With MAT, the chances of this happening become slimmer.