What is MAT? People who struggle with substance use disorders often find it very difficult to stop and abstain without help. The process of going from intoxication to abuse to dependence is unique to each individual making the subsequent treatment equally diverse. The use of medication to help people with substance use disorders is not new and has evolved into the standard of treatment for issues like opioid use disorder (OUD). It is not, however, a silver bullet and requires a whole-patient approach including counseling and behavioral therapies. Before digging in, let’s take a look at the various substances which [...]

This entry is intended to bring a little educational understanding to those who are unsure of what all the different terms mean in the world of people with drug/alcohol/behavioral issues. For the sake of discussing the individual, he/she/they are known as such and will be in active use, active recovery, or active wellness (complete remission, perhaps). There are those that will state that one cannot be cured and there is only a state of recovery because the individual is never not addicted to whatever caused problems. I contend that an individual can achieve active wellness which would include complete abstinence [...]