“Speaking as somebody who’s been in the drug scene, it’s not something you can go on and on doing, you know. It’s like drink or anything, you’ve got come to grips with it.”
~ John Lennon
The rock and roll legend was right: You can’t keep doing it. You’ve got to admit you’re an addict and deal with it. So, when the addict finally “comes to grips with it,” they know they need treatment and they need to find it soon. Any delay in treatment may cause more physical and emotional damage and could even be fatal.
One proven way to control opioid addiction is through Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT). MMT is a safe, effective, and proven way to treat an opioid addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says addicts should get a minimum of one year of MMT to receive the best outcomes.
MMT is not the trading of one addiction for another addiction, as many may believe. It is a comprehensive drug treatment plan that has worked for thousands of opioid addicts.
Methadone is used as an alternative to opioids on which the client is dependent, and MMT is most effective when combined with case management, counseling and psychological services. MMT’s goal is to eliminate the compulsive, abusive, and uncontrollable behavior that comes from using opioids. Effective treatments have actually been shown to work 60%-90% of the time.
Below are a few facts about methadone maintenance treatment:
- Patients must have a one-year history of physiologic dependence on a narcotic and be at least 18 years old. Exceptions are made for patients between 16 and 18 who have a documented history of two unsuccessful detoxification efforts and have a signed parental consent.
- The goal is to end opiate withdrawal symptoms within 24 hours.
- It diminishes the craving and helps achieve a threshold of tolerance.
- It takes 4-10 days of dosing to reach a steady maintenance state.
- However, the length of dosage varies according to the patient. MMT can take as long as the patient needs and feels comfortable.
- If the patient relapses, periodic dosages are increased.
- Opioid-dependent patients may need closer medical supervision, as they are susceptible to a variety of medical issues. The medical staff encourages dialogue between the family and the patient so there is no more exposure to certain diseases (HIV, TB, hepatitis, VD, etc.).
Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a proven and effective way to treat addiction, as it improves the patient’s physical and emotional health and social life and helps them in retention in other treatment programs.
The Concerted Care Group provides comprehensive methadone treatment. We utilize the “Whole Person, Whole Life” philosophy of substance abuse treatment. It integrates medical, psychological, vocational, economic, and social expertise to literally “wrap around” the patient and the patient’s lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if you have an opioid addiction, heroin addiction, prescription drug addiction, methadone addiction, painkiller addiction, or some other substance abuse addiction. We treat them all and do it under one roof.
Contact our outpatient clinic in Baltimore, Maryland at (410) 617-0142 or email at info@concertedcaregroup.com. We accept patients the same day, too.