“I Want to Feel Normal Again” – Can Methadone Maintenance Treatment Help?

Recovering from chronic opiate addiction can be an exhausting ordeal, both physically and emotionally. Low energy levels, problems sleeping and lack of motivation make for a day-in, day-out battle with self on top of dealing with never-ending drug cravings.

After months or years of chronic opiate abuse, the brain’s functional capacity sees considerable decline, a condition that becomes even more so pronounced when drug use ends. Without some form of physical support, the recovery process will continue as is until the brain fully recovers from the damaging effects of opiate abuse. Meanwhile, a person fights an ongoing battle in recovery and remains at high risk for relapse.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as the most developed opiate addiction treatment to date, methadone maintenance treatment specifically addresses the physical challenges recovering addicts face while providing practical tools for managing addiction on a day-to-day basis. Methadone maintenance treatment does this by combining medication therapy with ongoing psychosocial interventions. The medication therapy component in particular, enables you to feel normal again, which better equips you to overcome the challenges that opiate addiction recovery brings.

Methadone’s Mechanism of Action

Methadone maintenance treatment helps to improve your physical and mental health.

Opiates, such as heroin, codeine and oxycodone have a cumulative effect on brain function over time that starts as of the first drug dose. These drugs take over the brain’s neurotransmitter processes by forcing chemical-producing cells to secrete excess amounts of endorphin chemicals. Over time, these effects change how the brain works while at the same time cause the brain to become dependent on opiate effects to function.

Once a person stops using opiates, brain chemical processes have to pick up where the drug leaves off and it doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years before neurotransmitter production processes return to normal.

Methadone is a synthetic opiate drug specifically made to interact with the brain in the same way addictive opiates do without producing a “high” effect or placing a person at high risk for addiction. In effect, methadone works to restore a normal chemical balance and in the process enables you to feel normal again.

For more information on methadone maintenance treatment, call 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) .

Methadone Maintenance Treatment Effects

Over the course of methadone maintenance treatment, the feelings of depression and anxiety that so often plague the recovery process start to dissipate as the brain’s chemical processes return to normal. A person’s overall physical health also sees considerable improvement making it easier to sleep restfully, which in and of itself can make a tremendous difference.

Overall, improvements brought about by methadone maintenance treatment further enhance your motivation to stay well and enables you to be more engaged in the treatment process. Ultimately, the benefits of methadone maintenance treatment allow recovering addicts to maintain employment, improve relations with their loved ones and enjoy life again, according to the Alabama Department of Mental Health.

If you or someone you know are having an especially difficult time recovering from chronic opiate addiction and have more questions, or need help locating treatment programs, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addictions specialists.

How a Methadone Maintenance Program Works

Methadone maintenance programs have a long history of effectiveness in treating opiate dependent individuals by providing adequate doses of methadone combined with counseling, education, and psychosocial services to help reduce or eliminate illicit opiate abuse and the destructive behaviors associated with its use. Benefits of a Methadone Maintenance Program Methadone maintenance programs have been proven ….