Why You Should Find a Methadone Clinic Before You Leave Rehab

Chronic opiate addictions can leave behind a host of physical and psychological problems, all of which make it that much more difficult to maintain abstinence in recovery. In many cases, those in recovery must opt for some form of medication therapy treatment in order to overcome the aftereffects of addiction.

According to the National Center of Biotechnology Information, methadone treatment exists as one of a handful of medical models designed to address the brain chemical imbalances left behind by chronic opiate abuse. Depending on a person’s condition, methadone can be administered during detox or as a long-term maintenance treatment.

People coming off long-time addictions have their work cut out for them, even after they complete drug rehab. While it may seem like the worst is behind you, addiction’s aftereffects pose the greatest threat to your ongoing abstinence.

For these reasons, the time to find a methadone clinic is before leaving rehab as opposed to later on down the road. Fortunately, drug rehab programs make it easy to find a methadone clinic as most all rehabs work within a network of healthcare agencies. Most drug rehab programs also incorporate aftercare planning as a part of their overall treatment approach.

For help finding a methadone clinic near you call 800-994-1867Who Answers? toll free anytime.

Opiate Addictions

Finding a clinic early will help ensure you maintain your commitment to recovery.

As the second most addictive drug type on the market, opiates wreak havoc on a person’s overall state of physical and psychological well-being. Opiate addictions range from illicit drugs, such as heroin to prescription pain medications, such as Demerol and OxyContin.

Regardless of the type of drug, opiates all work in the same way, depressing brain and central nervous system functions while producing feelings of extreme euphoria and calm. These effects result from the interactions taking place at individual brain cell sites.

Opiates trigger the release of neurotransmitter chemicals from cell sites in large amounts. When taken on a continual basis, these interactions have a range of effects, including:

Structural damage to cell sites
A weakening of cell site functions
Cell sites desensitize to opiate effects

Each of these effects contributes to a growing opiate addiction. For people coming off chronic opiate addictions, it’s never too soon to find a methadone clinic when considering getting needed treatment help. Call 800-994-1867Who Answers? toll free for help finding treatment.

The Aftereffects of Opiate Addiction

The aftereffects of opiate addiction all but diminish a person’s quality of life, both emotionally and physically. Former long-term users are left to contend with persistent drug cravings and withdrawal effects that make it all but impossible to maintain abstinence. Recovering addicts experience considerable emotional turmoil, while at the same time lack the ability to enjoy life like they did before.

The purpose in finding a methadone clinic early on has to do with ensuring a continuity of care and treatment in recovery. While in rehab, the physical withdrawal effects from opiates subside eventually, but the emotional and psychological aftereffects will require ongoing, and sometimes long-term treatment in order to avoid relapse. Finding a methadone clinic before, as opposed to after rehab, offers the safest means for keeping these aftereffects in check.

Methadone Treatment

Chronic opiate abuse leaves the brain in a state of chemical imbalance. This condition results from damage done to brain cell sites, making them unable to produce needed neurotransmitter materials for normal brain function. This imbalance accounts for the difficulty addicts experience in recovery.

Methadone treatment acts as a type of medication therapy that restores a normal chemical balance in the brain. Methadone works to relieve the withdrawal and cravings effects experienced in recovery. Considering the importance of counteracting opiate aftereffects as soon as possible, it only makes sense to find a methadone clinic before leaving rehab.

As methadone can be administered during the early stages of rehab, finding a methadone clinic ahead of time is especially important when already taking it, since the drug’s therapeutic benefits rely on maintaining stable levels of the drug in the bloodstream.

Treatment Planning & Aftercare Planning

Drug rehab programs implement an extensive evaluation and assessment process when a person first enters treatment. Information gathered is used to draw up a treatment plan, which lays out the types of treatment interventions a person will receive during their stay.

Likewise, an aftercare planning process lays out a person’s ongoing treatment needs once they complete rehab. It’s best to find a methadone clinic at some point during the treatment planning phase as opposed to the aftercare planning phase. As local methadone facilities may have waiting listings, finding a methadone clinic as early on as possible helps avoid any costly delays in getting needed treatment.

Behavior-Based Rehabilitation

Part of the methadone treatment process entails rehabilitation in terms of helping a person develop the type of mindset that supports ongoing abstinence from drug use. According to the University of Delaware, interventions used to accomplish this end include:

Individual psychotherapy
Behavior-based therapies
Support group work
Group therapy
Relapse prevention training

In effect, finding a methadone clinic early on ensures you’ll be able to pick up where drug rehab leaves off as far as the behavioral treatment process goes. Those who find a methadone clinic beforehand have taken the necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition between rehab and the methadone clinic. For help finding treatment call 800-994-1867Who Answers? toll free anytime.

Co-Occurring Conditions

More oftentimes than not, long-term opiate abuse causes psychological disorders to develop during the course of drug use. Depression and anxiety disorders can make the recovery process all the more difficult as these conditions further aggravate brain chemical imbalances.

Under these conditions, the importance of finding a methadone clinic before leaving rehab becomes all the more crucial, as people with co-occurring conditions (addiction and mental illness) are at even higher risk of relapse. By finding a methadone clinic early in the rehab process, arrangements can be made to ensure a person receives needed mental health treatment once he or she enters a methadone program.

Considerations

The severity of a person’s addiction, for the most part determines whether he or she should consider finding a methadone clinic before leaving rehab. Considering the widespread damage left behind by opiate abuse, people struggling with chronic and/or long term addiction problems are the ones who stand to benefit most from finding a methadone clinic early on.

We can help you find treatment. Call 800-994-1867Who Answers? toll free anytime.