Do Methadone Treatment Clinics Offer Help for Anxiety Problems?

It doesn’t take very long at all before opiate abuse practices start to wreak havoc on a person’s emotional well-being. Between the recurring withdrawal episodes and the incessant need for more of the drug, it’s only a matter of time before a full-blown anxiety disorder starts to take root.

More often than not, those most in need of methadone treatment have likely developed emotional problems as result of ongoing opiate abuse. Methadone treatment clinics have ample experience in treating anxiety disorders that develop during the course of drug abuse.

Methadone programs also employ a range of behavioral-based interventions, many of which deal specifically with managing anxiety-based problems.

If you’re considering methadone treatment and need help finding a program that meets your needs, call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) .

The Aftereffects of Opiate Addiction

The damage caused by opiate abuse can lead to an anxiety disorder.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, chronic or long-term opiate abuse slowly but surely causes damage to vital neurotransmitter-producing brain cells. Neurotransmitter chemicals play a central role in regulating most every bodily system, including the area of the brain that regulates emotions.

The effects of this damage can stay with a person for months or even years, even if he or she stops using drugs. These effects also account for the persistent withdrawal and drug cravings effects so often experienced in recovery.

Methadone Treatment Clinic Services

Chronic opiate abuse diminishes a person’s overall well-being on both a physical and psychological level. Under these conditions, a comprehensive treatment approach becomes necessary to address the range of problems that have developed.

Methadone treatment clinics combine methadone’s therapeutic benefits with ongoing behavior-based treatments. Whereas methadone addresses the physical damage done to the brain, behavior-based treatments help a person develop the types of healthy coping skills that enable him or her to live a life without drugs.

Behavioral Treatment Interventions

While much of the methadone treatment clinic approach centers on methadone’s effects, behavioral treatment interventions play an equally important role in helping a person learn to live drug-free on a day-to-day basis. In effect, behavior-based interventions work hand-in-hand with methadone’s effects in terms of supporting a person’s ongoing efforts in recovery.

According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, interventions commonly used include:

• Group therapy
• Developing relapse prevention strategies
• Individual psychotherapy
• Motivational therapies
• Support group work

Behavioral-based interventions are designed to help recovering addicts work through the underlying issues that drive anxiety-based symptoms while developing strategies for managing everyday pressures in healthy ways.

Are Methadone Treatment Plans Really Necessary?

A methadone treatment plan can help your counselor track your progress and make any necessary changes to ensure a successful recovery.

Treatment for Co-Occurring Conditions

Chronic opiate addiction creates prime conditions for full-blown anxiety and depression-based disorders to develop. Co-occurring psychological problems only work to aggravate compulsive drug-using behaviors, so methadone treatment clinics place a heavy emphasis on treating these conditions.

Treatment approaches used may include medication therapies, such as anti-anxiety or antidepressant drugs for the most severe of cases. Otherwise, methadone’s therapeutic effects coupled with ongoing behavior interventions provides considerable relief from mild to moderate anxiety symptoms.

If you’ve been struggling with anxiety on top of a growing addiction problem and are considering getting treatment, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.