Category Archives: Methadone Treatment

Methadone Interest in Metropolitan Cities

Posted on March 6, 2011 | Comments Off on Methadone Interest in Metropolitan Cities

methadone-cities2Methadone.US launched in the first quarter of 2011 and has experienced substantial growth over the last 6 weeks. The website, just since February 1, has been visited by internet users in 1205 different cities who were searching for methadone clinics and opioid treatment services in their general vicinity. The extensive reach of the site has been truly remarkable.

The vast majority of Methadone.US visitors are from the United States. This is a natural result of the site’s .US (United States) web address, location & focus. Of the 1205 different locales, ten American cities emerged as especially noteworthy by producing the greatest number of visitors to the Methadone.US website. These top ten cities are listed below, in order:

  1. New York City
  2. Los Angeles
  3. Chicago
  4. Philadelphia
  5. Denver
  6. Dallas
  7. Seattle
  8. Houston
  9. Atlanta
  10. Albuquerque

With the site having been visited by individuals in hundreds of American cities, it is a safe assumption that people are very interested in learning more about methadone as a potential treatment intervention for their opiate addiction. There are many people in America who have found themselves physically dependent on prescription pain medication. Finding an answer to this dilemma is their chief priority.

The availability of opioid replacement therapy (methadone or suboxone) is improving almost on a daily basis. Science and medicine are continually advancing for the benefit of those who want a healthier life. Fortunately, technology has made it much easier for people to obtain the critical information they need … anywhere and anytime. The internet, and website technology, are at the very center of tomorrow’s information superhighway. The value of bringing important information to millions of people needs no explanation.

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Posted in Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Programs, Methadone Success, Methadone Treatment, New York Methadone Clinics

Finding Opportunity Through Methadone Assisted Recovery

Posted on March 4, 2011 | Comments Off on Finding Opportunity Through Methadone Assisted Recovery

methadonestartEntering treatment is all about change, positive change. People who make the decision to utilize methadone assistance have a desire to not only stabilize & avoid feeling sick, but to rebuild their lives.

Drug treatment in general is about opportunity. Diabetics could struggle along without insulin. But why should they? Those at risk of congestive heart disease could ignore the benefits of cholesterol-reducing statin drugs like Lipitor or Crestor. But why should they?

When a medication has been thoroughly researched and proven to enhance & save lives, that's a plus! Methadone provides opportunity for health and a life rebuilding process. In other words, a new start. It is vitally important for drug treatment professionals to understand that one size does not fit all. There are many paths to recovery and a true variety of approaches which addicted people can take advantage of in their effort to deal positively with their addiction. The old adage, "If it works, it works!", has more than a grain of truth.

Methadone clinics (suboxone too) are being accessed and successfully utilized by many people who are determined to manage their addictive disease and start living again. Don't judge them. Support them!

Now it's true that opioid replacement therapy is not typically the first treatment of choice right out of the gate. Sometimes opioid addicted individuals can achieve lasting recovery through outpatient counseling, detox, inpatient rehab programs, or committing wholeheartedly to the Narcotics Anonymous 12 Step program. There are choices, different paths. In the end, it's the addicted person's life, and it is their choice to choose that which offers them the best chance at a new start. Remember, when it comes to addiction, it is much better to do something … than nothing at all. Move toward a solution. Don't stay stuck.

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Posted in Medication Assisted Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Benefits, Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Treatment, Opiate Treatment

Never Give Up On Yourself

Posted on March 2, 2011 | Comments Off on Never Give Up On Yourself

methadone39I had the pleasant good fortune of seeing a former client the other day who had entered methadone treatment for his opiate addiction about 7 years ago. I remember him struggling for the first 2 years with relapses (mostly to cocaine, not opiates) and our clinic offering a variety of different treatments to help him get on track.

Due to a string of drug tests always positive for illicit substances, we were critically close to detoxing him from our methadone program. As you might imagine, he was a daily prisoner in his addiction and the pieces of the recovery puzzle were just not connecting yet in a way that worked for him.

As a last chance run in formal treatment, he attended a Day Treatment program that we offered which provided group and individual counseling, psycho-educational classes, and activity therapy Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 3:30 pm. It was at this time that he obtained his first clean drug test. This first success led to a second clean test, and then a third.

I remember believing in this person's sincerity. He wanted to change, and he needed the unconditional support of others who were not willing to give up on him … even when he was close to giving up on himself. Toward the end of treatment, there was a noticeable shift in his sense of hope. He had come to believe that recovery was possible for him. And where he used to see only a dead end, he now saw a light on the path just ahead of him getting brighter and brighter with each passing day.

When we sat and talked the other day, he was celebrating 5 uninterrupted years of recovery – no drugs, no probation, no jail, no longer financially destitute. He continues to take methadone and has enjoyed an ever-improving life in which he is meeting personal goals including: employment, home ownership, and the ability to care for his sickly, aging father. This is a great source of pride for the client being able to care for his father. It's a commitment he keeps every single day. Recovery, via methadone assistance and counseling, made this possible.

I am reminded how easy it is to judge addicted people, and to give up on them. But there is a reality that we must never forget. And it is that a suffering addict may be just one step away from turning the corner and passing through that doorway into a new life of recovery. We must not extinguish that dim light, that glimmer of hope, that helps people hold on just one more day. Recovery is always possible. As a counselor, I learned a long time ago that you cannot predict who will make it, or when. Never should we be so presumptuous or jaded.

Never give up! I believe in that. Congratulations to all of those who are still trying. Recovery may be closer than you think.

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Posted in Addiction Recovery, Drug Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Programs, Methadone Treatment, NIMBY, Opiate Addiction

Portland Methadone Clinics

Posted on March 1, 2011 | Comments Off on Portland Methadone Clinics

portland_methadonePortland is a large pacific northwest city in the state of Oregon with a metro population of about 2.2 million people. To its credit, Portland offers a considerable number of opioid treatment programs that specialize in the use of methadone and suboxone replacement therapy. Consequently, those struggling with opioid addiction have numerous medication-assisted treatment alternatives in the greater Portland area.

Portland became part of the grunge music scene that rose to prominence in the 1990's. During that time, heroin experienced somewhat of a resurgence with a resulting increase in opiate use and opiate addiction.

In addition to the numerous Portland methadone clinics that opened, many suboxone certified physicians came along when suboxone received its approval from the FDA in 2002. There are 45 suboxone physicians currently in practice at last count.

Within a 10 mile radius of Portland are several more methadone clinics located in the nearby towns of Beaverton, Milwaukie, and Vancouver. Portland appears to have responded quite well to a major opioid problem in their region. One can only imagine how Portland would have been negatively impacted had opioid treatment not found a place in the local community.

Portland Methadone Clinics

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Posted in Methadone, Methadone Clinics, Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Programs, Methadone Treatment, Portland Methadone Clinics

Addiction Is A Brain Disease

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Comments Off on Addiction Is A Brain Disease

methadone33Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, speaks in this short SAMHSA video about the need in America for ready access drug treatment. Many diseases and health conditions, including drug dependency, can be effectively managed through proper medications and best practice treatment interventions.

Drug addiction is a true brain disease. Drug use causes disruption in the brain's normal production of many natural chemicals including neurotransmitters essential to mood stability and emotional regulation.

Opioid addiction is not just about heroin or traditional "hard drugs". There has been a rapid increase in the use, and abuse, of prescription pain killers in America. Government estimates now put prescription pain pill abuse considerably ahead of heroin addiction. For more on this important topic, consider Dr. Jana Burson's book, Pain Pill Addiction: A Prescription for Hope.

Opioid dependency is a treatable illness. Addiction can be effectively managed. Detox, outpatient counseling, inpatient rehab, 12 Step support, and medication assisted treatment (such as methadone or suboxone) can all play a role in helping individuals to establish a healthy, drug-free life. 

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Posted in Addiction Recovery, Drug Treatment, Methadone, Methadone Programs, Methadone Treatment, Opiate Addiction