For most people in recovery, the use of MAT meds is temporary. Use of the drug will eventually be tapered to make way for total sobriety. This process should be done in a slow and measured way, allowing for plateaus to accommodate the individual’s experience and stability along the way.
Source: Attorneys at the Legal Action Center authored, Know Your Rights: Rights for Individuals on Medication Assisted Treatment. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 09-4449. Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2009.
Keep in mind that addiction is a chronic disease just like asthma or cancer are chronic diseases, and it can require medication in much the same way. The likelihood of becoming addicted to the medicine used during this type of therapy is greatly reduced under the watchful eye of a doctor. Couple this supervision with the other aspects of MAT – counseling and therapy – and that likelihood is reduced even further.
Source: Geisinger (2017, April 11). Beating withdrawal symptoms with medication-assisted therapy. Https://www.Geisinger.Org/Health-and-Wellness/Wellness-Articles/2017/04/11/14/51/Beating-Withdrawal-Symptoms-with-Medication-Assisted-Therapy.
