How can a Methadone Clinic Help Me Stay Sober?

It’s not uncommon for people battling chronic opiate addiction to go through one or more rounds of drug treatment in an effort to overcome addiction’s effects in their lives. Chronic opiate addictions can be the worst in terms of the relentless hold opiates exert over a person’s life.

For many, this “hold” continues long after opiate abuse stops.

Methadone clinics, and methadone treatment in general, is specifically designed to address the types of difficulties long-term addicts face in the recovery process. By combining methadone’s effects with ongoing behavior-based interventions, methadone clinic treatment provides you with the tools and coping skills needed to stay sober for the long-term.

Call our toll-free helpline at 800-994-1867Who Answers? to ask about methadone clinic treatment options.

The Methadone Clinic Treatment Approach

Methadone clinics provide tools to cope with daily life.

The effects of chronic opiate addiction don’t just go away when drug use stops. Long-term opiate abuse leaves behind considerable damage to the brain’s cells, structures and overall functional capacity.

In effect, the brain’s chemical environment now requires opiates to function normally. This is why it’s so hard for long-time addicts to stay sober for any length of time.

According to Washington State Institute for Public Policy, methadone clinics use methadone as a type of treatment therapy that works to stabilize damaged brain functions and restore a normal chemical balance. These effects go a long way towards eliminating the uncomfortable withdrawal and drug cravings effects experienced when opiate abuse stops.

How Methadone Clinics Help

Breaking the Compulsive Drug-Using Cycle

Once opiate addiction takes root, addicts enter into a cycle of compulsive drug-use that only works to worsen addiction severity. In effect, the mind learns to see the opiate “high” as a good thing.

Considering how drug cravings become most intense when withdrawal effects or difficult emotional issues are present, the relief that opiates bring can easily become a vital “need” in a person’s daily life.

Methadone clinics use methadone’s therapeutic effects to break this compulsive drug-using cycle. As a treatment drug, methadone’s effects last considerably longer than addictive opiates like heroin and fentanyl, so methadone only has to be taken once a day, according to West Virginia Medical Journal.

Going from multiple “fixes” per day to a once-a-day dose will break this cycle of compulsive drug-using behavior.

Developing Tools for Coping with Daily Life

While methadone works wonders at relieving much of the discomfort left behind by opiate addiction, overcoming an addiction problem requires a person work through the underlying emotional issues that drive him or her to escape through drug abuse. For these reasons, methadone clinics employ a range of behavior-based interventions to help you get to the roots of the addiction problem.

According to the University of Delaware, interventions commonly used include:

• Drug education and counseling
• Individual psychotherapy
• Group therapy
• Support group work
• Developing relapse prevention strategies

The overall result of methadone clinic treatment works towards helping you develop a drug-free lifestyle while at the same time providing you with the type of physical support (methadone) needed to live a sober life.

If you need more information on methadone clinic treatment or need help finding a methadone program, please feel free to call our helpline at 800-994-1867Who Answers? to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

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