She stresses, however, that medication alone will not sustain recovery in the long-run. Once a client is stable, it’s important for them to begin counseling and behavioral therapy to maintain employment, repair relationships and create other positive lifestyle changes. The center works with each individual to make a treatment plan which includes a balance of medical treatment and behavioral therapy. “It’s not a magic medication,” Stanley explains. “Any recovery requires a lot of effort from the patient, but medicine can bring them to a place where they can function well enough to put in the necessary work.”
highly-effective. Methadone is a full opioid agonist and buprenorphine is a partial agonist—this allows them to mimic the effects of an opioid without the euphoria, withdrawal symptoms, or cravings. Getting patients to this stage is crucial before starting any counseling or behavioral therapy. As a counselor, Stanley knows the dif culty of working with someone who’s in withdrawal. They usually have trouble sitting through a therapy session or functioning at the level needed to make behavioral changes. “It’s not their fault. Withdrawal from opioids has some of the worst symptoms. Patients tell me they wish they were dead rather than go through that pain,” Stanley says.
“ PATIENTS TELL ME THEY WISH THEY WERE DEAD RATHER THAN GO THROUGH THAT PAIN . ” -Anna Stanley
MORSE CLINICS COUNSELOR SHARES THE IMPORTANCE OF USING MEDICATION - ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
“ THIS IS GOVERNMENT APPROVED MEDICATION, JUST LIKE TAKING INSULIN FOR DIABETES. ” -Anna Stanley, program coordinator at Morse Clinic’s Chatham Recovery
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