Substance use disorder (SUD) is categorized as a mental health disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Most mental health disorders have corresponding medication recommendations, which is why Providence Recovery offers medication-assisted treatment (MAT). 

MAT is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders, withdrawal symptoms and to reduce the chance of overdose. You might also hear this referred to as Medication Assisted Recovery, in effort to highlight the fact that recovery is possible. Almost every other disease defined by the medical community has medications that go along with its treatment process; addiction is no different. That is why Providence Recovery Services offers MAT to individuals in our intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization programs. 

Do you WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAT? Let us help.

Research shows that the combination of MAT and counseling can help prevent relapse and reinforce recovery. MAT can help heal the physical changes in the brain, block the euphoric effects of substances, and relieve cravings. This provides a whole‑patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT has been shown to:

1. Improve an individual’s success
2. Increase retention in treatment sessions
3. Increase an individual’s chance of receiving and maintaining employment
4. Decrease an individual’s substance use
5. Decrease the chance of relapse

Providence Recovery only uses FDA-approved medications such as Suboxone and Vivitrol. 

The following medications will act on the receptors in your brain, reducing cravings, preventing withdrawal symptoms and/or blocking the effects of a substance. 

Unfortunately, there are many common misperceptions about medication assisted treatment.

MAT replaces the original addiction with another.

This is false. Our professionals use FDA-approved substances which are safer and long-acting to help individuals reduce the risk of relapse.

MAT is a morally wrong choice.

Addiction is a disease, and, like other diseases, it can be treated with medication.

If an individual uses MAT, they are weak and cannot overcome addiction by themselves.

Addiction is hard to overcome alone. At Providence Recovery, our goal is to help you through your addiction treatment and into recovery by any means necessary. Our program is patient-centered, and we promise to direct your care with informed and evidence-based practices, including MAT if needed.

MAT can increase the risk of an overdose.

If an individual completes treatment and uses the same amount of substances they used prior to treatment, it could be life-threatening or fatal. MAT can help an individual decrease their risk of an overdose.