5 Tips for Staying Sober
You’ve done the work to become clean and sober, and you want to do what you can to stay that way. Here are five great tips that will help you safeguard your freedom from a substance use disorder.
Menu
Getting Through Early Recovery With Medications
Early recovery from a substance use disorder is an incredibly tricky time as your brain and body revolt against your efforts to break free. To ease this journey, we offer several different types of medications that can help bridge the gap toward a life free from substance use.
Our team at Northview Wellness has had great success using medication-assisted treatment programs for clients who are trying to get clean and sober. Here, we explore some of the medications we offer that can help you through the early days of recovery so you can reclaim your life.
Suboxone® for opioids
One of the reasons behind the dismal numbers surrounding overdose deaths due to opioids, which claimed nearly 70,000 lives in the United States in 2020, is that opioids are incredibly difficult to break free from.
Not only is opioid withdrawal unpleasant physically, your brain continues to demand the drug and these cravings can be very powerful.
With Suboxone, we can relieve many of the early withdrawal symptoms and control the cravings using a two-pronged approach that includes an opioid agonist (buprenorphine) and an opioid antagonist (naloxone).
In layman’s terms, Suboxone delivers a very mild form of opioid that doesn’t get you high, but it does satisfy the brain and body. The naloxone works to counteract any opioid by blocking the receptors in your brain.
Sublocade® for opiods
For detoxing and early recovery from an opioid use disorder, we also offer Sublocade injections, which release buprenorphine into your system to relieve withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings. Unlike daily medications, Sublocade injections are given once every month.
Naltrexone pellets for opioids and alcohol
This is a long-term approach to help you weather early recovery in which we insert pellets under your skin that slowly release naltrexone over six months. This drug is an opioid antagonist and blocks the receptors in your brain, which prevents you from getting high or drunk.
In addition to preventing you from feeling the effects of opioids or alcohol, naltrexone can also help reduce the cravings that can be very strong in early recovery.
Vivitrol® for alcohol and opioids
Vivitrol is a medication that contains naltrexone, and we deliver it through monthly injections. Like the pellets we describe above, Vivitrol prevents you from getting high or drunk and also works to curb cravings.
As you can see, when it comes to opioid and alcohol use disorders, there are several options that can help you weather the early days of recovery and prevent relapse.
If you’d like to explore these options further and figure out whether you’re a good candidate for one of these medication-assisted treatments, please contact our office by phone or email to set up a consultation.
You Might Also Enjoy...
The Importance of Dual Diagnosis Therapy for a Co-occurring Mental Health Problem
The connection between a substance use disorder and a mental health issue is a strong one, as the nearly eight million Americans who have a co-morbidity prove. When this occurs, treating both issues is paramount.
Five Warning Signs That Your Loved One May Have Relapsed
Addiction is a chronic disease that requires constant vigilance and good management. When a person falls short, relapse can occur. If you’re worried that a loved one has relapsed, here are some signs to look out for.
I Think I’m an Alcoholic. Can You Help?
You believe that you’re drinking isn’t normal anymore, and you’re tired of the overwhelmingly negative effects that alcohol is having on your life. The good news is that alcoholism is highly treatable.
Get the Support You Need From the Comfort of Your Own Home With Telehealth
The rise in availability of telehealth services has been great news for those who need (or would prefer) to receive quality health care from the comfort of their own homes. These services also extend to substance use disorders.
Isn’t Marijuana Harmless?
Marijuana may be legal, but like with alcohol, how you use this legal substance makes a difference. If you develop a use disorder, marijuana can be quite harmful and affect a number of areas of your life.