When It's Best To Have An Addiction Rehab Treatment?

This post may contain affiliate links. Which means if you make a purchase using these links I may recieve a commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for support Miss Millennia Magazine! Read my full disclosure.

Everyone should be aware by now of the crippling public health issue that is an addiction to opioids. Still, there is no consensus on how to approach it best. Policymakers can’t seem to agree on a shared path forward; healthcare professionals have polarized opinions when it comes to the most appropriate way to addiction rehab treatment, while addiction specialists and treatment centers have their ideas on what works and what doesn’t.

This leaves those suffering from substance abuse stranded and confused as to which solution to seek. Substance use disorders are not easy to handle, and if you notice that you are struggling with certain substances, then getting some help is a must. It would be best to realize that when a glass of wine on a Friday turns into a bottle per night, there’s a problem.

In the past, abstinence-only models such as the infamous 12-step program were the golden standard. Thanks to years of research and scientific evidence, one conclusion can be clearly drawn: no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Every person will experience addiction to opioids differently; the causes and risk factors will be inherently different, thus making their unique case in need of a highly customized treatment pathway.

One option is most frowned upon: addressing opioid addiction with medication-assisted treatment, using medicines such as Suboxone. Unfortunately, moral stigmatization remains entrenched in how most people perceive addiction in general, and when the solution appears to be more drugs, the bias gets deepened.

However, it’s of uttermost importance to distinguish the difference and understand the intricacies that such a treatment solution entails. It’s not sending someone off with a bag of opioids and hoping for results. On the contrary, the treatment is administered in a medical setting under professional supervision, following a thorough investigation and medical history analysis.

How does Addiction Rehab Treatment work?

The mechanism, in its essence, is quite simple: the effects of opioid withdrawal are more potent than many can imagine. Once the brain and body are hooked on these drugs, tolerance increases, and more and more of the drug is needed to satisfy the craving. Even with the bare minimum of information around this, quitting cold turkey seems unlikely to be successful, and without doubt, the symptoms will be painful and unbearable.

Suboxone treatment can hit the brakes on that cycle. Supervised treatment can help avoid misuse and substantially reduce the risk of relapse as it eliminates the surfacing of withdrawal symptoms. Science has made great strides in showing the effectiveness of this approach, with some studies pointing out a reduction rate of 50% among patients. Medication can also be paired with different forms of therapy to equip people with coping mechanisms and achieve more excellent water outcomes.

To some people, this sounds like positive progress. To others, it’s merely replacing one drug with another, thus not a solution. It’s crucial to rephrase and rethink the problem. Treating any other chronic condition with medication is the standard.

So why is addiction different?

It’s because the majority still don’t see it as a disease. The preconception is that addiction comes with some moral failure. Those people who are addicted somehow brought that onto themselves voluntarily and consciously. This could not be more wrong.

Surprisingly, it has also been shown that this negative sentiment is also common among people who overcame addiction and are now sober. firmlyrongly believe that if they could do it without the help of medication, others could just as well. There is also the problem of the widening trust gap between people and healthcare systems. Those same pharmaceutical companies and doctors who brought these opioids to them in the first place are now dangling a shiny, brand-new drug in their faces.

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a product made of buprenorphine and naloxone. As a long-acting agonist, it helps avoid withdrawal symptoms and cravings without posing overdose risks and intoxication. According to 2017 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines, the main compound – buprenorphine, is also the treatment of choice for opioid-dependent pregnant women and has been shown to have a better safety profile than methadone, another addiction treatment drug.

However, a significant point that is stressed repeatedly is that this treatment must be carefully prescribed, considering various aspects to avoid doing more harm than good. For instance, healthcare professionals must also consider factors related to a patient’s lifestyle and circumstances – do they have a stable and safe living environment? Do their entourage and daily activities pose risks of further worsening the situation? Is their mental health status strong enough to take such a treatment on board? This is why every aspect must be discussed, analyzed, and well thought through before embarking on such a journey.

Suboxone allows people battling an addiction to return to their everyday lives quicker and safer, so why should this be stigmatized?