During intake, we create a plan based on a person’s specific treatment requirements.
There are many reasons why a treatment center should offer medication assisted treatment (MAT). Our focus at Transformations is always on providing the best care possible care for each and every client. Intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment, and the use of medication, is just another way we focus on the individualized treatment needs of our clients.
During intake, we create a plan based on a person’s specific treatment requirements. Some people may need to take Suboxone for a few months, while others will follow a MAT program for a year or longer. It’s important to remember that the eventual goal is to step down, or taper the dosage, and work towards complete abstinence from opioids.
Addiction treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, each person seeking help has a different personal background, a different substance use history and different treatment needs. Transformations individualized clinical care starts with a thorough assessment by an addiction psychiatrist to decide if they meet the criteria for treatment with medication supported by behavioral therapy.
We have strict medical and clinical criteria that someone taking Suboxone needs to follow to stay in the program. Our MAT clients must show up to treatment, attend their group therapy sessions, show up to every appointment and keep in constant contact with our staff.
A flexible treatment plan is one that has the ability to adjust as the client moves through the various phases of their treatment. We look at their medical and psychological issues to determine the best course of treatment. We would never tell a client we can’t put them on benzodiazepines to stop their seizures because it’s a mood-altering drug.
But, we often have to put somebody on medication to make sure they are safe while going through the withdrawal and detoxification process. Medication assisted treatment is really an extension of that, to make sure our clients are safe as they continue through the treatment process.
When discussing individualized care, another thing to think about is, what is going to improve their quality of life? It’s a very complicated question and a successful outcome is based on each clients’ recovery needs and goals. So, the question becomes: how do you define quality of life? That answer is different for everyone.
How many days did they go without using drugs or alcohol this year compared to last year? Were they able to sit down and have dinner with their family for the first time in 5 months? Different people have different goals so, what one person considers successful treatment is something else for their peers. The measure of success is very subjective because it’s self-reported. If somebody feels their quality of life is better, then we’ve made a huge difference.
People who have been in and out of treatment walk in the door at a facility and think that no one understands them or that no one gets them. Then their first week in treatment they realize a lot of people are thinking the same thing. Treatment and recovery is all about fellowship, it’s about creating a supportive system for people who have been isolated for so long. That’s what the addiction does – the substance abuse, the alcohol, even mental health issues – it creates isolation. So, another benefit of being in a treatment program is the realization that they are not alone.
Call now to be connected with one of our friendly, helpful admissions specialists.
For many people battling addiction, they have a fear of withdrawal if they stop taking their substance of choice. Suboxone, used with a medication assisted treatment program, helps reduce cravings and prevent withdrawal symptoms. So, MAT can give someone a possible path to get into recovery and have the opportunity to feel a bit of success.
Many people enter treatment and mention that they wanted to stop using drugs for many years, but they didn’t want to deal with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Treatment finally seems like a possibility when they realize they won’t experience withdrawal if they go to a facility, like Transformations Treatment Center, that offers MAT with Suboxone.
Swimming is a good analogy to use when looking at the importance of individualized care. Most people can swim but they all take a different path to get into the water. Some people just jump into the pool or lake, head first, while other people dip their toe in and slowly ease themselves into the water. It’s not that one swimmer’s technique is more successful than the other, it’s just that each person is different.
It’s the same thing in treatment – withdrawal is very subjective on some level. For some people, withdrawal symptoms are miserable, and they can barely function, while others say they feel fine. No two people are the same so, no two treatment plans should be the same. This is why Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center focuses on individualized care.
All our clients are referred out to continuing care after they’ve completed our IOP with medication program. Once a client leaves our facility, they are still going to have a substance use disorder, so it’s important to follow up with an aftercare plan. Just like with diabetes, someone doesn’t stop being sick after treatment, they still have a chronic disease.
Before a client leaves our intensive outpatient with maintenance medication program they meet with a member of our discharge planning team. Their discharge coordinator will recommend a continuing care plan that includes regular appointments with a psychiatrist, finding a doctor that can continue to prescribe their MAT medication, finding a sponsor and regular meetings at a 12-step support group.
Transformations is a treatment center that addresses the underlying issues that lead to drug use and alcoholism. We still support abstinence, but we also support the need for medication in treatment and recovery.
We offer many different treatment paths for drug and alcohol addiction including faith-based programs, a veterans and first responders recovery program. Medication-assisted treatment is an extension of our current treatment program and allows us to help adults transition back to a life without the use of addictive drugs or alcohol.
