Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Opioid use disorder can be overcome through medication-assisted treatment: a proven evidence-based practice that forms the foundation of our Safe Start Program.
What is Medication-Assisted Treatment?
When a person becomes reliant on opioid medications like oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin), their brain operates differently. It becomes accustomed to an artificial supply of certain neurotransmitters and stops producing them on its own. Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, is the administration of medicine to restore the brain’s chemical balance.
Cumberland Heights’ MAT program is called Safe Start. We use FDA-approved medications like naltrexone and buprenorphine as the basis of our programming for those with opioid use disorder. These substances do not “replace one addiction with another”—they empower clients to break the cycle of addiction, participate in programming and remain abstinent for years to come. Each person in our MAT program gains access to complementary therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy and 12-step facilitation. Together, these modalities create a clear path to recovery.
Proven Opioid Treatment Program
Cumberland Heights takes a nationally recognized approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder. Our methods have received accreditation from The Joint Commission, certification from the American Society of Addiction Medicine and distinctions from organizations like NAATP, Aetna and BlueCross BlueShield.
Each year, our Research Institute compiles all data about our clients’ treatment results into a robust Outcomes Report. This document details the effectiveness of our modalities in reducing cravings, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and more. To date, we have found that our interventions—including medication-assisted treatment—contributed to:
- Symptom reduction over time
- Decreased likelihood of readmission
- Increased long-term abstinence
- Decreased adverse health consequences
This data reinforces our status as one of Tennessee’s premier treatment centers for opioid use disorder.
Medication-assisted treatment can be delivered on an outpatient basis, which means that it is offered at our Outpatient Recovery Centers throughout Tennessee. By making MAT programs more widely available, we hope to conquer our state’s opioid epidemic—one client at a time.
You deserve to live a happy, full life free from addiction. Contact our admissions team to begin your medication-assisted treatment regimen. We look forward to speaking with you.
