Benefits of Finding a Local Methadone Clinic

Methadone maintenance therapy has a demonstrated history as an effective treatment approach for chronic opiate addiction. Methadone clinics exist as authorized facilities that specialize in administering methadone maintenance treatment. According to the National Institutes of Health, as of 2006, approximately 1,396 methadone clinics operate within the United States,.

Methadone maintenance treatment entails more than just receiving daily doses of the drug. Methadone clinics offer a range of treatment services designed to help recovering addicts rebuild their lives while overcoming opiate addiction. For these reasons, there are certain benefits to finding a methadone clinic in your area.

Methadone Clinic Programs

Local clinics make it easier for you to get your methadone treatment, thus keeping up with your recovery.

Chronic opiate use has a debilitating effect on brain and body functions. According to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, these effects eventually take the form of a chronic medical condition. Methadone medication coupled with ongoing counseling work provides the type of care needed to help recovering addicts overcome the effects of addiction.

Methadone clinic programs specialize in providing methadone therapy based on a person’s individual treatment needs. In the case of chronic opiate use, long-term methadone maintenance treatment helps support damaged brain function while reducing the level of drug cravings and withdrawal a person experiences in recovery.

Dosing Needs

Doctors determine a person’s methadone dosing needs based on the degree of withdrawal and drug cravings he or she experiences from day-to-day. Unless the proper dosage adjustments are made in a timely manner, cravings and withdrawal effects can potentially drive a person to relapse.

Methadone dosing procedures require patients to maintain close contact with treatment providers in order to ensure the right dosage amounts are being administered. As methadone treatment calls for a daily dosing schedule, it’s essential that program participants can access methadone clinics on a daily basis as well as when dosage adjustments are needed.

Access to Psychosocial Supports

In addition to medication therapy treatment, methadone clinic patients participate in ongoing counseling, psychotherapy and support group work as part of the program’s requirements. Also known as psychosocial supports, these activities help recovering addicts work through the psychological underpinnings of addiction.

Depending on the severity of the addiction, a person may be required to attend weekly, biweekly or even daily sessions in order to provide him or her with the necessary supports for maintaining abstinence. In this respect, finding a local methadone facility can make it that much easier to get the level of treatment a person needs.

Treatment for Co-Occurring Conditions

It’s not uncommon for opiate addicts to develop psychological disorders as a result of long-term opiate use. In effect, opiates cause brain chemical imbalances to develop, which creates the optimal conditions for psychological disorders to take root.

Recovering addicts affected by psychological disorders, such as anxiety or depression, require ongoing treatment to prevent these conditions from aggravating drug-using urges. Local methadone clinics provide help for co-occurring conditions as part of their treatment protocol.

Transitional Care

As patients progress through methadone clinic programs, those who’ve maintained abstinence throughout may be able to transition to a less restrictive dosage schedule. Once a person reaches this point, methadone clinics can transition him or her into methadone medical maintenance.

Methadone medical maintenance is handled by authorized physicians who work outside of the clinic setting. Under this form of treatment, patients receive take-home methadone doses with fewer treatment visits required. Methadone clinics work with local area doctors, in which case receiving treatment from a local clinic makes for a smooth transition process.