Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

MAT is the use of special medications which is partnered with drug and alcohol counseling to treat someone struggling with a substance use disorder. It can be used to treat addiction to opioids, heroin, alcohol, or prescription pain medications. No single treatment is right for everyone, but MAT can help a person’s brain get back to the way it worked before drug use, block the high effects of drugs, and relieve cravings. Although addiction treatment is not simple, the goal of MAT is full recovery, and to help a person live the life they want.

Some people think that MAT is just trading one drug for another. This is not true. A person cannot get high from these medications, and they have been proven to be safe and very effective. When given in addition to the help of a therapist, peer support, and support from family and friends, MAT can lead to recovery.  

If you are struggling with addiction, and therapy alone isn’t working for you, talk to your therapist or doctor about MAT. If you are not in therapy right now, call PerformCare for help setting up an appointment so you can talk about the treatments available to you.

Learn more about MAT:

National Institute on Drug Abuse

U.S. Food and Drug Administration