What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
MAT or medication-assisted treatment is used to treat opioid use disorder. For some people, the mere thought of withdrawal from opiates causes extreme fear. Others may have tried to recover but find themselves unable to quit and in a vicious cycle of relapse successfully. MAT helps those addicted to opioids successfully recover by preventing the terrible withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings for opioids.
Methadone, Suboxone, or Subutex are the medications typically used in medication-assisted treatment. These are opioid medications; Methadone is a full opioid agonist, while Suboxone and Subutex are partial-opioid agonists. Each works in different ways in the body but overall helps many people get started on the road to recovery.
Abstinence Medication is Available For Opioid Addicts
For those that wish to avoid all mood and mind-altering substances but still may need the help of medication, there is also an abstinence medication available. Naltrexone is an opioid blocker. It works by blocking the opioid centers in the brain. Naltrexone doesn’t satisfy cravings as the other medications do, but it may reduce cravings. If a person is “blocked” from using or feeling an opioid, cravings tend to subside.
Do Sober Living Homes Accept MAT Patients?
Some of the medications used in MAT are opioids. There are people in the recovery community who believe that if an individual is on MAT, they switch one drug for another and aren’t sober. However, medication-assisted treatment has saved many people’s lives and has enabled a lot to get their lives back.
An excerpt from the NIH’s article titled “Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder” says:
Two-thirds of drug courts prohibit MAT entirely, and they often mandate participation in Narcotics Anonymous, which does not consider people on medication to be “clean.” She added that the demeaning and hostile language used by the health care and judicial systems to describe addiction exacerbates that stigma. Panelists discussed why treatment programs that discourage or prohibit medications are still so prevalent, given the known effectiveness of MAT. . (NIH)
It’s fair to say that traditionally most sober living homes do not accept patients on medication-assisted treatment. Sober living homes are 12-step based with strong ties to AA and NA, and these programs practice abstinence. MAT came from the medical and scientific communities. Sober living and MAT are two different experiences and come from two different communities.
However, with more and more people being on medication-assisted treatment, things are slowly changing. There are sober living homes that do accept MAT patients, but they are few and far between.
Sober Living Home for Addiction And Alcoholism
If you or someone you love is looking for a premier, co-ed sober living home, we would love to have you here at New You Sober Living. We help men and women in recovery succeed and prosper. Your stay at New You will be comfortable and luxurious as our home is only 1.5 miles east of the beautiful ocean.
We understand the road to lasting sobriety is not easy and simple, but we are here to help you get on that road to long-lasting recovery. Our team of specialists is available around the clock to assist you, so give us a call today. All calls are free and confidential.
