What Is MAT Drug Rehab?

When you live with an active drug addiction, the first step towards achieving sobriety and addiction recovery is going through a drug or alcohol detox within a residential treatment facility. This process is when your body releases any harmful toxins of drug or alcohol and readjusts to functioning without relying on illicit or prescription drugs to function throughout the day, which can result in unpleasant side effects known as drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Each individual will experience varying withdrawal symptoms depending on your own history of drug use and personal physiological makeup. Medical detox will allow patients to have the supervision of physicians or nurses that will ensure your drug or alcohol detox is safe and comfortable within a medical detox setting. 

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) provides Sarasota residents with a whole-person approach to drug detox and rehab. Patients will be provided with a drug rehab schedule that includes traditional substance abuse addiction treatment methods, including evidence-based addiction therapy in combination with medications that will ease the severity of your drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms and reduce any drug cravings to keep you on track meet your goals for sobriety. 

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, call WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab today at 877.969.1993 to learn how we can help.

If someone you know does enter drug rehab, here are some tips on what to write them to offer support:

https://whitesandstreatment.com/2018/12/12/what-to-write-to-someone-in-rehab/amp/

What Medications Are Used in MAT?

In a medication-assisted treatment (MAT program), medications are provided to Sarasota, FL residents for alcohol or opioid addiction. For patients living with alcohol addiction, you will be provided with one or some of the following medications:

  • Acamprosate
  • Naltrexone
  • Disfilirum 

For those Sarasota residents that are entering into drug rehab for opioid addiction, the following medications may be offered:

  • Buprenorphine 
  • Methadone 
  • Naloxone: a preventive, harm reduction medication to support individuals who may use opioids and reverse an overdose when used. 

Benefits of MAT

  • Supports Sarasota, FL patients to remain focused on their goals for sobriety by reducing drug or alcohol cravings 
  • Significantly reducing the severity of drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms. 
  • Assist in the brain healing from the changes that have been created from opioid addiction 
  • A MAT program is specifically designed to meet each patient’s individual needs by providing customized therapy plans and medication that will meet your physical and emotional needs to safely get through your opioid detox and opioid addiction treatment program with ease. 
  • Patients will safely remove their dependency from their drug addiction without becoming physically reliant on the medication. 
  • Research has shown that a MAT program will increase an individual’s chance of achieving long-term sobriety and addiction recovery. 
  • Increase patients’ ability to gain and maintain employment 

How Does Medication-Assisted Treatment Work?

Sarasota residents who participate in a medication-assisted treatment program will often be unable to commit to an inpatient residential treatment drug rehab program and opt to engage in an outpatient treatment program. Patients will attend the outpatient treatment center to engage in various addiction therapy methods. You will be provided with Suboxone from our medication-assisted treatment medical staff weekly during that time. 

Common Myths About MAT

  • MAT replaces one addiction with another: Patients that engage in a MAT drug rehab program will be able to safely taper off of opioids with the use of medication and then wean themselves off the medication within opioid detox.
  • MAT is a short-term option: Depending on the person, medication-assisted treatment can be a method of long-term drug rehab treatment. Research has shown that medication-assisted treatment is most effective when used for a more extended period to ensure that patients are stable within their sobriety. 
  • MAT drug rehab is not an effective addiction treatment method: Medication-assisted treatment has been proven to be an effective method of treating opioid addiction and an effective way of harm reduction as it reduces the chances of opioid overdose.

Combining MAT With Behavioral Therapy for the Best Results

For a truly effective drug rehab experience that provides long-lasting change, it is essential to combine medication-assisted treatment with behavioral therapy to help heal patients from their drug addiction within their body, mind, and soul. MAT will assist patients in managing the physical portion of drug or alcohol addiction and help patients remain focused on their overarching goals to obtain a stable life within sober living. Behavioral therapy allows patients to look within to understand what has been the driving force for their addiction to drugs. No one chooses to become a drug addict; it develops from unresolved emotions and traumas that have impacted your ability to react to negative feelings or triggers. Behavioral therapy will work with patients to reshape their deep-rooted self-beliefs and values to foster a healthy life within sober living. 

MAT Drug Rehab at WhiteSands in Sarasota

WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab Sarasota provides residents with a MAT drug rehab program that focuses on each patient’s individual needs that enter our intensive outpatient drug rehab program. With the support of our expert addiction recovery counselors, you will develop the tools for sober living along with the healing addiction therapy methods to process your past that has been impacting your addiction to drugs while recreating a new, fulfilling lifestyle living in recovery. Through addiction treatment methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy, patients will be able to develop the coping skills and tools for relapse prevention to ensure a long-lasting change towards sober living. Sarasota, FL patients will be provided with the leading medications in addiction treatment to help you safely remove the toxins of substance abuse from your body with the supportive supervision of our medical and therapeutic team. Contact WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab today to hear more about how a medication-assisted treatment drug rehab program can give you the necessary tools and support you need to overcome your addiction to drugs.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.

About the Author

Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.