A fundamental principle of healthcare is that patients should be enabled to make informed decisions about the treatments they receive. It is now possible for people with drug addiction and co-occurring mental illnesses to know the facts about a variety of medications that can help them recover from their addiction and live healthier lives.

Many people have misconceptions about what medication assisted treatment entails and how it compares to traditional treatment approaches such as detoxification and abstinence-based rehabilitation. But after reading through this guide, you will see just how safe and effective these treatments can be.

Reasons To Choose Medication Assisted Treatment

Delivered in calm environment –

• Medication-assisted treatment can be delivered in an environment that is calm and caring. For some people, the idea of being an inpatient in a substance abuse facility can have an impact on their health and wellbeing.
• The medical director at a meditation in recovery program can provide added encouragement and support to help people get through the process of detoxification safely.
• In contrast, traditional detoxification centers provide highly supervised environments that may be unpleasant for patients. They are also very effective at resolving dependence on illicit drugs.
• Medication- assisted treatment programs do not require that you go into withdrawal and there are many options for people who want to avoid this uncomfortable experience altogether.

Doesn’t address mental health problems –

Traditionally, detoxification and rehabilitation programs are only equipped to treat the physical and behavioral symptoms of substance dependence. In contrast, medication-assisted treatment addresses the physical symptoms of withdrawal through medications that help alleviate cravings for drugs and ease some of the discomfort associated with detoxification.

It also treats mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression that may have been symptoms during initial stages of addiction but which grew into full-blown co-occurring mental illnesses as time went on.

Some people with co-occurring disorders continue to suffer from these illnesses even after they have given up their drug habits. Medication-assisted treatment helps them recover from these illnesses so they can lead healthy lives again.

Reduces relapse risk –

If you were to take a random sample of people who have given up drug use through medication-assisted treatment, you would find that the majority of them maintained their sobriety for many years afterwards. You may wonder why this occurs if they are not receiving ongoing mental health care.

The answer is that they have a carefully prepared and maintained plan in place which prevents them from having to deal with the often dangerous consequences of drug relapse. This approach is supported by research studies which suggest that medications can reduce the risk of relapse significantly.

We must have heard of the term drug interaction at some point. This occurs when a drug usually prescribed by the doctor has a reaction to another prescription and a change occurs in the kinetics, i.e. reaction mechanism. You must have heard about Drug and Alcohal Outpatient Program and the effects of alcohol on your body. Mixing these could have adverse damage to your body. This interaction is considered a drug-beverage interaction and also drug-drug interaction. There are many short and long-term effects of this interaction mentioned below.

Short term effects

There are many different effects in the short term that are concerning. This includes coordination and motor system damage, among the primary concerns. They both could need better coordination and clarity. When we mix both of these, you will need help to think clearly, enhancing the effects. There may be injuries, accidents, etc., due to it. It also causes poor vision for some time, increasing the risk of self-harm while driving any vehicle.

Alcohol and muscle relaxers are CNS depressants that will cause them to lose their capability to think clearly, and the addict may make bad decisions due to it.

Long terms effects

There are also many long-term effects which could make your life difficult. These could even damage your kidneys and liver. In addition, your memory function and heart contraction may also be affected.

Liver damage

Mixing both will increase pressure on the liver, which will damage it. This is because both are digested in the liver.

Addiction

If you take it for a long time, you are more likely to get addicted and may cause dependence on it. In addition, it will be impossible to quit it, and you will have severe complications in future.

Poisoning

There is an excellent chance that taking this mixture for a prolonged time may cause you alcohol poisoning as they both enhance the effects of each other.

GIT damage

Alone, alcohol affects the intestine and makes it challenging to absorb any food nutrients. The lost cause will increase its effects and may cause damage to a large extent.

After taking the mixture, there may be fatal conditions that could lead to death. They may cause multiple organ failures, and toxins may start gathering in the body, leading to infections. There are many centres which could help to avoid these complications.