How Does Methadone Treatment Counseling Work?

Anyone considering methadone maintenance treatment has likely made multiple attempts to stop using opiates, having gone in and out of drug rehab programs with little to no progress to show for it. Chronic opiate addiction impacts most every area of a person’s life in harmful ways. This is especially true when it comes to the long-term effects on thinking and behavior.

Methadone treatment has a long history within the addictions field as the first medication-based approach specifically designed to help people with severe opiate addiction problems. While methadone’s therapeutic effects can work wonders at helping a person maintain abstinence on an ongoing basis, counseling treatment provides him or her with much needed tools for building a drug-free lifestyle. For these reasons, methadone treatment employs both medication and behavioral-based counseling to address the physical and mental challenges addicts face in recovery.

Methadone’s Therapeutic Benefits

Counseling helps recovering addicts develop a drug-free mindset.

The effects of chronic opiate addiction can persist long after a person stops abusing drugs. Chronic opiate use diminishes the brain’s functional capacity over time. This results in weakening brain cell functions while creating widespread chemical imbalances throughout the body. These changes account for why those in recovery struggle with residual withdrawal effects and severe drug cravings on an ongoing basis.

According to the National Institute of Justice, as a treatment drug, methadone acts as a type of substitution therapy in terms of its ability to replace the effects of addictive opiates and restore a normal chemical balance in the brain. Once methadone takes effect, withdrawal and drug cravings start to subside, which greatly enhances a person’s overall physical and emotional well-being.

Not sure if your insurance will help cover your treatment costs? Call our helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) for more information.

The Purpose of Methadone Treatment Counseling

Addiction, in any form, most impacts how a person thinks in terms of his or her daily priorities, motivations and overall mindset towards self and others. Even after a person stops using drugs, the thinking patterns and emotional ties developed during the course of drug use can stay with him or her for months or even years into recovery. These conditions account for the high relapse rates in opiate addiction recovery.

According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, methadone treatment counseling works to educate recovering addicts on the effects of addiction and help them develop the type of mindset that supports continued abstinence in recovery. The types of counseling used may include:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Relapse prevention training
Group therapy
Motivational therapy
12 Step support group work
Family therapy

Why Methadone Maintenance Treatment Won’t Work Without Counseling

People coming off chronic opiate addiction well know the ongoing physical and emotional discomforts that persist throughout much of the recovery process. While methadone maintenance treatment goes a long way towards alleviating the physical aftereffects of chronic opiate abuse, the psychological aftereffects remain well intact. Opiate addictions come with a high relapse potential regardless of ….

Each of the above treatment interventions address different life areas in terms of helping recovering addicts develop healthy ways of coping with daily pressures and interacting with others. Over time, the combined effects of methadone and ongoing counseling treatment enable those in recovery to manage drug-using urges while developing drug-free lifestyles along the way.

If you or someone you know are considering methadone treatment and have more questions, or need help finding treatment that meets your needs, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addictions specialists.