Category Archives: Recovery

Recovery Is About Positive Change

new-year-recoveryAs we prepare for another new year, there is always this opportunity for welcomed changes and improvements in our lives. New years resolutions are often built around personal goals that people would like to achieve like quitting smoking, losing weight, or beginning a new hobby.

With opioid addiction, the desire for relief is always present. It is amazing what an individual can do when they are truly motivated and committed to a goal. It is true that people enter recovery every single day. What an incredible truth this is!

The big question is what does it take for a person to step onto the path of change and to point themselves in a new direction? The disease of addiction is one that is allowed to continue as a result of becoming stagnant, inactive. As a disease process, drug addition only gets halted when a person makes a decision to do something about it. If a person fails to take any action to change, then addiction will simply progress.

For some people, their first step toward recovery is to just talk to a caring person about their addiction problem and to take a look at some possible options. Commitment and change usually begin with a simple question like “What if … ?” or “What about … ?”

The desire for something better at times leads us to have an open heart or open mind toward something new and unfamiliar. Surprisingly, some addicted people actually fear “recovery”. It represents the unknown. But so many have looked back, after taking that first step, and been incredibly relieved that they finally did take it.

Methadone and buprenorphine (suboxone) have been extremely beneficial for a large number of opioid addicted people. So have inpatient and outpatient rehabs, detox centers, and 12 Step meetings. There are a number of proven paths that have worked for many! If you are currently struggling in addiction, change is possible and recovery is available to you. It will be a worthwhile decision to find help. You will most likely look back very soon and be glad that you made a decision to explore your own path out of addiction.

Welcome to 2015! It’s a new year. It will bring challenges. It will bring rewards. We hope that you will not sit idly by and let the past dictate your future. 2015 may be your year. Take some steps in a new and better direction. Good things can definitely happen.

Opioid Treatment Center in Scottsdale Arizona

smc-recovery-3Recently joining Methadone.US is a newly opened methadone treatment program in Scottsdale, Arizona: SMC Recovery. SMC offer methadone for opioid addiction as well as an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for treating all varieties of addictive disorders.

Both modalities of treatment are deemed best practice interventions by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and they are evidence-based treatment models. Evidence-based means that the treatment approaches have been thoroughly researched and shown to be effective in helping patients achieve success with identified treatment goals.

More specifically, SMC Recovery offers medication-assisted treatment, IOP, outpatient, group counseling, family groups, and individual therapy to adults 18 years and older. Prospective patients in the Scottsdale area can reach SMC staff at (480) 998-4673 (HOPE) or via the email address listed on the Scottsdale page of the Methadone.US website.

SMC Recovery’s narcotic treatment program is available to all individuals who meet ASAM criteria for admission to opioid treatment. Priority admission status is provided to pregnant clients.

Recent news: The Methadone.US information portal launched in early 2011 and has since delivered opioid treatment information to more than 662,000 individuals in the United States searching for addiction treatment resources. Thank you for visiting, and for your continued support of Methadone.US!


Suboxone Facilitates Safety and Recovery

suboxone-doctorSuboxone is a leading medication in the treatment of opioid dependence and has been available since 2002 when the FDA approved Subutex (buprenorphine hydrochloride) and Suboxone tablets (buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride).

Suboxone tablets have since been replaced by the thin sublingual suboxone film that is also dissolved under the tongue. While methadone has been highly successful for several decades, suboxone has expanded the range of options for those suffering with opioid withdrawal.

Fighting off opioid withdrawal is at the core of opioid addiction and is chiefly responsible for the stress that addicted individuals feel as they try to function normally each day. Suboxone not only helps patients eliminate opioid withdrawal sickness and associated cravings, but it also brings the opportunity to function again as an employee, a parent, or a spouse.

Many patients report not only feeling relief from the welcomed absence of withdrawal sickness, but recapturing the focus necessary to make strides in other important areas of their lives. This illustrates the profound advantage that some patients derive from opioid replacement therapy.

There are an increasing number of physicians now providing opioid addiction treatment services and utilizing suboxone due to its effectiveness and patient convenience. Additionally, some traditional methadone clinics are adopting buprenorphine (suboxone) as a second option for their patients.

Suboxone therapy ultimately increases safety for opioid addicted patients since they are less prone to secure opiates illicitly. It may also save them from having to rely on heroin or other potentially high-risk medications (like benzodiazepines) in order to “get by”. Patients are better able to cut ties with those that have provided them opiates illicitly and this is extremely helpful to the recovery process.

Originally, Sildenafil was intended for the treatment of angina or chest pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart. But then followed the trials, as the drug didn’t provide stated effect. But volunteers’ studies showed an interesting side effect- stable and strong erection which is described at . Other studies conducted around the same time showed that the molecular structure of Sildenafil can play a great role in erection, which encouraged the new studies of the drug for men with erectile dysfunction.

If choosing suboxone, it is important that individuals go the proper route and enroll in therapy with a buprenorphine-approved physician. This cannot be overstated. A doctor specializing in the administration of buprenorphine (suboxone) can provide the necessary assistance to make suboxone therapy effective and to help patients taper down successfully should they decide to discontinue suboxone therapy.

For more on this topic, visit our Suboxone Doctors information page.

You can also perform a comprehensive search of Suboxone Doctors by clicking view the complete list on our Search Clinics By State page.

Canadian Press Publishes Article on Benefits of Methadone

canadian-methadone-clinicsFurther validating the merits of opioid treatment using methadone is a recent article by The Canadian Press outlining the findings of Canada’s Medical Health Officer in British Columbia, Dr. Perry Kendall.

Dr. Kendall’s report documents that individuals in opioid substitution therapy are twice as likely to survive compared to those who obtain opioids illegally on the street. Those in opioid addiction therapy were also found to be much more cost effective to society (about $4200 per year for treatment) compared to those with untreated addictions whose costs are estimated to be $45,000 per year collectively in health complications, law enforcement involvement, and other social problems such as loss of income.

The province of British Columbia is currently treating over 15,000 residents for opioid addiction. Their health minister, Terry Lake, is quoted as saying that he was encouraged by the findings in the report and that he knows opioid substitution therapy is not only saving lives, but equates to significant savings for the Canadian healthcare system and society.

In a related story, youth struggling with opioid addiction are being helped in Canada by the increased availability of suboxone. Sean Morrison of the Strengths youth addiction services discussed the benefit that suboxone offers in eliminating opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings so that young people can stabilize and focus more quickly on addiction recovery goals.

While opposition is still present in the USA from certain groups regarding the establishment of methadone treatment services near their community, the medical community and various treatment providers are increasingly able to demonstrate good outcomes with methadone and suboxone supported services. The science of addiction treatment using methadone and suboxone is powerful & compelling – thus legitimizing its increased availability to people who need it. Simply put, opioid substitution therapy saves lives and produces irrefutable medical and psychological benefits for those people struggling in addiction.

New Opioid Treatment Facility in Philadelphia

TheHealingWay2The Healing Way is a newly opened opioid treatment facility in Philadelphia, PA offering methadone maintenance and outpatient therapy for opioid addicted individuals. They treat other substance addictions as well.

The clinic dispenses medication every day of the week and provides both individual and group counseling to its patients.

Located at 7900 Frankford Avenue, The Healing Way is conveniently accessed in the northeast Philly area. As their clinic is new, its official website is not yet active but residents of Philadelphia may want to bookmark their site for future reference at www.TheHealingWay.net.

Also recently added to Methadone.US is BHG Recovery’s facility listing in Humble, Texas. BHG is a leading provider of opioid addiction treatment services in eight states. Their Humble treatment facility also serves residents in the Kingwood community and other areas of north Houston, Texas. Note that BHG provide a video overview of their services specific to each of their treatment locations. Viewers can browse more information on BHG’s programs by visiting our San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Wichita Falls methadone clinic pages. BHG offer buprenorphine (Suboxone) in addition to methadone maintenance services.