North Carolina Medication-Assisted Treatment

Addiction Treatment & Behavioral Health Services

When recovering from substance use, stopping “cold turkey” can be dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms can be extremely painful and even life-threatening. Even in milder cases, cravings caused by withdrawal can make it difficult to maintain sobriety.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a program designed to help clients who are recovering from physical addictions that cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms. There are several non-addictive medications that can curb the cravings and manage symptoms. At October Road, MAT is facilitated by a nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or psychiatrist. Managing these physical symptoms is a vital treatment step and allows the client to focus on other of aspects of their recovery. As part of MAT, we provide individual therapy and a life-skills group from a masters-level therapist.

MAT at October Road treats mental health disorders and co-occurring disorders. We also have partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs for clients who need a more structured and intensive program.

Medication-assisted treatment may be recommended for patients who are struggling with:

  • An alcohol or opioid dependence
  • Severe cravings and/or withdrawal symptoms
  • A co-occurring medical or mental health disorder
  • Multiple drugs at once (poly-substance abuse)

How Medication-Assisted Treatment Can Help

The goal of MAT is to improve the client’s quality of life so that they can have a stronger foundation for recovery and long-term sobriety. At October Road, we use evidence-based practices that have been proven to assist with recovery and wellness. MAT is offered at our Asheville location.

The specifics of medication-assisted treatment will vary depending on the client’s condition, the substance(s) they have used and how long they were using. In many cases, MAT is used to slowly wean the patient off medication entirely. Dosages are carefully monitored and reduced over time as the patient physically recovers and makes progress in their treatment.

MAT Group — Wednesday 10:30 am to 11:30 am, and Thursday 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

October Road also offers a Methadone program in Asheville. For more information, please click here.