Clients across the country in methadone clinics and suboxone treatment programs are required to receive counseling while taking methadone or suboxone medication. Opioid replacement therapy specifically treats the painful opiate withdrawal, but counseling addresses the thinking, behaviors, and lifestyle that fed the addiction or that made individuals more vulnerable to developing addiction-related problems.

While in early recovery from opioid addiction, individuals begin to look at themselves and their lives through the process of counseling. It is during this time that clients face the truth about themselves and the effects that their addiction may have had on family and friends, finances, personal reputation, employment, and a host of other real world considerations.

It is easy to understand how some people can feel overwhelmed as they take their first sober look at the consequences of their recent addiction-based lives. However, change does occur ... and change is a choice. A very personal and ...

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There is growing interest from a number of entities in regard to America's opioid addiction problem, methadone treatment, suboxone treatment, and the always important funding considerations that accompany these subjects.

This interest is coming from hospitals & the larger medical establishment across the country, your local community, the Federal government's Medicaid services division, your State's Division of Health and Human Services who allocate state dollars for opioid treatment, private insurance companies, employers, and the list goes on and on.

The nationwide costs and consequences of addiction are enormous. The cost of treating addiction is also very large. However, research has proven repeatedly that addiction treatment produces undeniable cost benefits. In other words, treating addiction saves money in the long run by helping addicted individuals arrest their disease and become functional again. For many of the entities listed above, it's all about the dollars. And more specifically, saving ...

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Clients tell me that their loved one does not understand why stopping opiate use is so hard. Most non-users think that it is simply a matter of "willpower". While determination is very important in overcoming active addiction, "willpower" alone is usually not enough to overcome one's physical opioid dependence once it has taken hold.

There is a page here on Methadone.US that is dedicated to explaining opioid addiction and the overwhelming compulsion that addicted people feel to keep using these drugs. If you are suffering with an opioid addiction, I recommend that you have your family or friends read this page. It helps to explain (using easily relatable examples) how and why addicted people have such a hard time avoiding opioid use when their withdrawal symptoms and cravings begin to build.

Opioid addicted people are no more able to "just not use" than most people are able to ...

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There are many legitimate and appropriate uses for opioid medications. Opioids are excellent at managing acute or chronic pain for back injuries, post-surgical recovery, dental work, and other medical conditions that generate unbearable pain.

For those who may become physically dependent upon opioids, their difficult journey often does not begin with a chase for euphoria or a "drug high", but with a short-term prescription from their physician for a pain killer ... in order to minimize the pain and discomfort from a recent surgery or injury.

How the brain & body respond to opiates varies from one person to the next. Some individuals have a very high tolerance for pain and may need relatively less pain relief medication than someone who possesses a high sensitivity to pain.

If an individual takes pain medication for a long enough period of time, they may run the risk of developing a tolerance to the medication ...

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How doctors view methadone is becoming a hot topic. A friend recently informed me that the TV celebrity doctor, commonly known as Dr. Drew, was against methadone and had publicly made negative comments about the medication. I was disappointed to learn of this because Dr. Drew has a fairly large national audience who follow his opinion on medical matters. I then noticed that Dr. Jana Burson (a well-educated and experienced opioid addiction professional) had written on this topic, and herself questioned why Dr. Drew had made derogatory comments in regard to methadone. Dr. Burson knows firsthand how incredibly beneficial methadone is to those suffering with chronic opioid dependency. If a physician deserves a national audience & voice on this topic, it is Dr. Jana Burson, not Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Physicians typically seem to fall into one of two camps: either those who are educated on addiction and modern addiction treatment approaches ...

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Teen drug abuse is a persistent problem in America, and unfortunately, is on the rise again. With recent State and Federal budget cuts, funding across the country for adolescent drug treatment has dwindled. There are far fewer drug rehab facilities today than there were just 5 years ago. Locating inpatient and outpatient teen rehab programs has become a challenge for parents and adults seeking local teen drug treatment resources.

RehabForTeens.org is a new online information center which provides general information on teen substance abuse and contact information for a variety of teen drug rehab programs across the United States. The site was launched in January 2012 and will undergo periodic updates to keep people informed on the availability of teen rehab programs in each U.S. state.

RehabForTeens.org describes the different types of drug treatments available for teenagers and offers a blog from the unique perspective of parents ...

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