What if Your Family Doesn’t Support You In Suboxone Treatment?
Does your family support your treatment plan? Some families are not always supportive with their loved ones getting Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) with medications like Suboxone even if they are desperately trying to recover from opioid addiction. For some, suboxone is their best bet to catapult them into long-term recovery.
Regardless of whether or not suboxone is used short-term or long-term, studies in large cities with a high crime rate show that it has helped many sustain long-term recovery.
It’s essential to research how MAT can be useful for opiate addicts to reassure them that this method of treatment works. Read on to learn more about how MAT can help and about some misconceptions your family members may have.
What is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
Some of you might be wondering “What is MAT and what does it have to do with my opioid addiction?” MAT stands for Medication Assisted Treatment, which means those suffering from opiate addiction can get help from medications prescribed by their doctor. Suboxone, Subutex, and methadone are used in these types of treatments. They are meant to help you get through detox and stay clean while you are still vulnerable to another relapse.
How MAT Helps Addicts in Treatment
Are you curious why Medication Assisted Treatments are so beneficial? Using medications like Suboxone can be sufficient for those who use them as prescribed by a doctor. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, using medications like methadone and Suboxone can actually “restore balance to the brain circuits.” While an addict is using their prescriptions, they are able to heal their brain and can focus on their recovery process. Therefore, during their detox, it can reduce a patient’s cravings and withdrawal symptoms. This is essential in helping an addict stay sober since, without MAT, some people might give in temptation because they don’t want to continue experiencing those withdrawal symptoms.
Get More Intensive Help if You Need it
It’s always recommended to seek medical care during detox because medical professionals can oversee your condition. If you don’t trust yourself in taking the precise number of pills your doctor prescribes, an inpatient rehab treatment center might be the best solution. They can help monitor your pill intake and can also keep you away from temptation.
However, this medication will only work along with an exceptional therapy program and support groups to reinforce your successful recovery. You will still have to share your experiences and past behaviors dealing with opioid drugs. An excellent therapist can help you figure out the reasons why you started using drugs in the first place.
This doesn’t mean everyone has to have MAT to recover from an addiction. You should always consult with your doctor to make sure any type of treatment plan will work with your health condition and if it will benefit your kind of addiction. Some are able to live a drug-free lifestyle without the additional help of Medication Assisted Treatments.
Is Your Family Being Supportive?
Not every family will support their loved one through treatment. Some people merely forgo researching the positive and negative aspects of using medication as a treatment option for opioid addiction. You might not always gain their support in this, but you need to do what’s right for you. The primary goal is getting sober and staying that way. As long as you take the medication correctly, you shouldn’t get addicted to your MAT. However, you should be aware that you can become dependent. It’s important to understand the difference between addiction and dependence.
Why Don’t Families Always Support MAT?
Not all family members think MAT will work, but this could all come down to their ignorance in what MAT really does. This is why research is so crucial in understanding if MAT is right for each opioid addict.
Financial Reasons
When a drug addict tries to seek help and recover from their addiction, sometimes they are too young to support themselves financially. Some addicts have lost their jobs due to their actions while they were high on opioids. Whatever your case might be, you might be depending on family or friends to help support you in rehab. This might cause you to depend on their help to pay for your treatment, as well.
Some families might not agree with specific rehab programs because the of the cost. According to Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, it might take several treatments, medication switches, changes to your life choices, and continued family support to get to a place where you are able to recover from your addiction. Most families know how expensive treatments are and it could be one of the reasons they might not support you participating in MAT. However, if you are able to afford it yourself, you and your doctor can decide what your best options are best.
Misconceptions Concerning MAT
There are a lot of misconceptions about using medications to help opioid addicts recover in rehab facilities. Most families think it’s switching one drug for another. However, that’s so far from the truth. Your parents or siblings might worry that these medications could make you high and aren’t any different than the opioids you are addicted to. As reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when you take the dosage precisely as prescribed by your doctor, these medications won’t let you experience any kind of high from it. In simple terms, it really just cancels out the effects the opioids had on your body.
Addiction is a disease. It’s treated as such in a rehab treatment center. Everyone recovers from diseases like diabetes and heart disease in different ways, whether it’s going on a strict diet or using medication prescribed by their doctor. Every person’s recovery process is different just like those with other diseases won’t always need medications to live a healthier lifestyle. Therefore, getting MAT from your doctor or in a rehab treatment center is similar to those who are receiving medication for their diabetes.
However, you should know that there isn’t a cure for this type of disease. Therefore, you will always have to maintain your sobriety and continue getting support from NA meetings, family, and therapy.
Your family might change their minds on not wanting you to use MAT when you start to make smarter choices. Some people can begin to live their lives again by going back to work or school and making healthier choices. Don’t be discouraged by your family, because they only want what’s best for you and might be blinded by what that is by being too overprotective.
Knowing more about MAT can help you and your family feel more comfortable using this type of treatment. There are always some adverse side effects in taking any medication, but there are several positive ones when you use this type of treatment. All you can do is educate your family on the benefits MAT can have with those with opioid addiction. They could change their minds when they have detailed information about how this treatment helps.
Remember; always consult with your doctor before deciding MAT is for you. On top of Suboxone, there are many other options to successfully overcome an addiction to opioids. Your overall health is vital to living your life again!
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