Drug Addiction Treatment News Round Up

Coverage on the new media campaign revolving around buprenorphine availability in Philadelphia continues, bringing the opioid crisis in the city to the forefront of public attention. The Inquirer Editorial Board of Philly.com highlights the surplus of vacant spots in medically assisted treatment (MAT) programs and discusses the controversy around MAT:

“Because of ill-conceived notions that the only real recovery is sobriety, using medication to treat opioid addiction is stigmatized as nothing more than replacing one substance with another. People who use bupe or methadone are told they aren’t “clean”. But there is nothing “dirty” about good medicine. There is increasing understanding that addiction is a disease, and should be treated as one — and that just like a person with diabetes needs insulin, some people in opioid addiction need bupe or methadone.”

Read the full editorial here, or find suboxone treatment centers in Philadelphia.

CNN recently published a story about a mobile treatment program in Pennsylvania run by Positive Recovery Solutions, featuring the experiences of Stuart Masula and Amanda Cope, who run the program. Masula talks about his work at the clinic, stating, “I literally probably have the best job you could ever have. I get to go to work and see people who are trying to change their lives every single day for the better.”

The mobile addiction clinic administers monthly injections of Vivitrol to patients in recovery from opioid addiction.

Read the full article here, or find doctors who administer buprenorphine in Pennsylvania.

I Love Recovery Café offers tips on returning home after treatment, listing ways to create a calming home environment conducive to recovery. Familiarity is encouraged, but change is suggested to help avoid setbacks. The author provides recommendations:

“Remove any emotional triggers that might set them off and consider changing the interior design scheme just a bit to promote feelings of well-being, calmness, and health.”

See the complete list of tips here, or read more on life after rehab.