Taking Advantage of a Full Methadone Maintenance Program

According to the National Institute of Justice, “In addition to administering medication, MMT also involves providing patients with comprehensive rehabilitation services.” Methadone centers are full service treatment programs, and it can help you immensely as a recovering individual to take advantage of this fact.

In-house Treatment Options

Methadone centers are known for dispensing medication, but most also have a number of other treatment options for patients in the facility. These can include:

• Individualized therapy
• Group therapy
• Support group meetings
• Medical services for those in need
• Drug testing
• HIV testing and prevention
• Drug education

Many methadone clinics are outpatient centers, which makes most individuals believe that they will do little more than dispense medication. However, these programs are some of the most “monitored and regulated medication treatments in the country,” which often ensures that they provide other options to those patients who need them. The next time you visit your methadone clinic, ask your physician which treatment options are offered by the facility and how and when you can attend them.

Referral-based Treatment Options

Vocational counseling if often offered within methadone maintenance programs.

Though there may be some options your methadone center does not provide, most will refer patients to other facilities where they can receive the help they need for certain issues. For example, if your methadone center does not provide the type of medical service you require because it is too expensive, too intensive, etc., the program can usually refer you to a facility that will be able to do this and at a price you can afford.

Other referral-based options often offered through methadone centers to other programs include:

• Psychological and physical healthcare
• Intervention services
• Education help
• Housing help
• Vocational counseling
• Job fairs
• Childcare

Talking to Your Doctor

Your doctor isn’t just there to dispense medication to you; they are meant to help you on your journey through recovery and ensure that you are getting stronger every day. Therefore, if you require help from a medical professional or just have a question to ask, the medical staff at your methadone maintenance center can be extremely helpful to you. Get to know your doctors, nurses, counselors, etc., especially if you are visiting the clinic every day, until you are comfortable asking them about your needs. It can be very beneficial just to have someone guide you through what the next few weeks, months, and years of your recovery will be like, and these healthcare professionals will often be with you every step of the way.

Effective Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs

Opiate addictions cause considerable damage to essential chemical processes throughout the body. As any recovering addict well knows, the effects …

Don’t Know? Just Ask!

It can’t hurt to ask about what options are available to you as a recovering addict in a methadone treatment program. You will never know if something is available to you for free or at a low cost unless you inquire about it, and many methadone maintenance centers are a part of the community that reach out to other treatment programs. Ask about what options are available to you because you could find something that becomes an integral part of your overall recovery, all thanks to your maintenance program.

If you have more questions about methadone maintenance or want to find a facility near you, call 800-994-1867Who Answers? today.