Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Raleigh, NC
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Medically Reviewed by
Dr. R. Dewayne Book
Dr. R. Dewayne Book serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Advaita Health, overseeing medical services across Green Hill Recovery and Advaita Integrated Medicine.
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Recovery is not the same for everyone. Some individuals benefit from therapy alone, while others find that medication can play an important role in reducing cravings, managing withdrawal symptoms, and supporting long-term recovery.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) combines FDA-approved medications with therapy, counseling, and recovery support services.
At Green Hill, MAT is never viewed as a standalone solution. Instead, it is one part of a comprehensive treatment approach designed to help individuals build stability, improve quality of life, and support long-term recovery.
Learn more about our addiction medicine programs or verify your insurance now.
What MAT Is — and What It Isn't
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is an evidence-based approach used to treat substance use disorders, particularly opioid use disorders and alcohol use disorders.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), MAT combines medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a “whole-patient” approach to treatment.
Too many people have the misconception about MAT that it simply replaces one drug with another. This misunderstanding has prevented many people from accessing treatment that could significantly improve their chances of recovery.
The goal of MAT is not to create a new dependency. The goal is to reduce cravings, manage withdrawal symptoms, decrease the risk of relapse, and help individuals engage more fully in recovery and everyday life.
For many people, MAT provides enough stability to focus on the deeper work of recovery, including therapy, relationships, employment, physical health, and personal growth.
Why is MAT Effective?
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) can be effective because it helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, two of the most common barriers to recovery. By decreasing the intensity of these experiences, MAT can make it easier for individuals to engage in therapy, build recovery skills, and maintain long-term recovery.
For many people, addiction becomes a cycle of triggers, cravings, substance use, and withdrawal. MAT helps create space between the urge to use and the decision to act on that urge.
By reducing some of the physical and psychological barriers to recovery, individuals are often better able to engage in therapy, build healthier habits, and make meaningful changes in their lives.
How MAT Works
Medication-Assisted Treatment works best when medication is combined with therapy, support, and meaningful lifestyle changes.
Addiction affects parts of the brain involved in reward, motivation, decision-making, and stress.
Over time, the brain can begin to rely on a substance to feel normal. When that substance is reduced or removed, cravings and withdrawal symptoms can become powerful drivers of continued use.
Medication-Assisted Treatment helps stabilize some of these biological processes.
Depending on the medication being used, MAT may help reduce cravings, lessen withdrawal symptoms, and decrease the rewarding effects of alcohol or opioids.
This can help individuals focus less on managing urges and more on building the skills needed for long-term recovery.
Medication may help:
- Reduce cravings
- Decrease withdrawal symptoms
- Lower the risk of relapse
- Improve treatment engagement
- Support long-term recovery
At the same time, therapy and recovery support help individuals:
- Develop coping skills
- Address underlying mental health concerns
- Improve relationships
- Strengthen recovery habits
- Build a sustainable recovery lifestyle
Recovery involves more than stopping substance use. It often requires learning how to navigate stress, relationships, work, grief, and other life challenges without returning to old patterns.
MAT helps create space between the urge to use and the decision to act on that urge, creating the stability needed to do that work.
Medications We Offer
Our medical team provides several evidence-based medication options depending on an individual’s needs, goals, and treatment history.
Naltrexone
Naltrexone is a non-addictive medication that helps reduce cravings and block the rewarding effects of opioids and alcohol. It may be used as part of treatment for both alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder.
Vivitrol
Vivitrol is an extended-release injectable form of naltrexone that is administered once per month. Many individuals appreciate the convenience of a monthly medication rather than taking a daily pill.
Sublocade
Sublocade is a long-acting injectable medication used in the treatment of opioid use disorder. It provides consistent medication coverage over an extended period and can help reduce cravings while supporting long-term recovery.
What MAT Treats
Medication-Assisted Treatment is most commonly used to treat alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder.
While the medications and treatment plans may differ, the goal remains the same: to reduce barriers to recovery and help individuals build a more stable foundation for long-term change.
Alcohol Use Disorder
For individuals struggling with alcohol use disorder, MAT may help reduce cravings, decrease the risk of relapse, and support ongoing recovery efforts.
Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid addiction can be particularly challenging due to intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
MAT is considered one of the most effective evidence-based treatment approaches for opioid use disorder and can significantly improve treatment outcomes when combined with therapy and support services.
Can MAT Help with Opioid Withdrawal?
For many people struggling with opioid addiction, the fear of withdrawal can become a big barrier to recovery. Symptoms such as muscle aches, nausea, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, and intense cravings can make it difficult to stop using, even when someone genuinely wants to.
Medication-Assisted Treatment can help reduce both opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms, making the transition into recovery more manageable. By reducing some of the physical distress associated with withdrawal, MAT helps create space between the urge to use and the decision to act on that urge.
This is important because opioid addiction often becomes a cycle of cravings, use, temporary relief, and withdrawal. Over time, many people find themselves using less to get high and more to avoid feeling sick.
MAT helps interrupt this cycle, allowing individuals to focus more fully on therapy, recovery skills, relationships, and rebuilding their lives.
Our medical team can help determine whether medications such as Sublocade or Naltrexone may be appropriate based on your treatment history, recovery goals, and individual needs.
MAT and Therapy at Green Hill
Medication can be an important tool, but recovery rarely happens through medication alone.
At Green Hill, MAT is integrated with therapy, recovery support, psychiatric care, and other treatment services when appropriate. This allows individuals to receive support for both the biological and behavioral aspects of addiction.
Therapy helps individuals develop coping skills, strengthen relationships, process difficult experiences, and build strategies for long-term recovery. Medication can help reduce the barriers that often make those changes difficult to sustain.
Together, these services provide a more comprehensive and individualized approach to recovery.
Is MAT Right for You?
There is no single recovery path that works for everyone.
Some individuals find that MAT provides an important source of stability during recovery, while others may pursue different treatment approaches. The decision to use medication should be based on your unique circumstances, treatment history, recovery goals, and medical needs.
If you are unsure whether MAT is appropriate for you, our medical team can help you understand your options and make an informed decision.
The goal is not to fit people into a specific treatment model. The goal is to find the approach that gives each person the best opportunity to build a lasting recovery.
Insurance and Getting Started
Seeking help for addiction can be difficult enough without having to navigate insurance, provider directories, and treatment options on your own. Our goal is to make the process as straightforward as possible.
Green Hill is in-network with most major insurance providers, making addiction treatment and medication-assisted treatment more accessible and affordable for many individuals and families. Our admissions team can help verify your benefits, explain your coverage, and answer questions about costs before you begin treatment.
If MAT is appropriate for your needs, we’ll help coordinate care with our medical providers and connect you with additional services such as therapy, psychiatry, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), and recovery support.
We believe accessing treatment should be simple, responsive, and centered around helping people get the support they need.
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Start Medication-Assisted Treatment in Raleigh, NC
If you are struggling with alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, or recurring relapse, Medication-Assisted Treatment may be an option worth considering.
Contact Green Hill today to verify insurance benefits, schedule an assessment, and speak with our medical team about whether MAT may be a good fit for your recovery goals.