Treatment & Recovery
Topics on this page: Resources for Patients, Family & Friends | Medication-Assisted Treatment | Drug Courts | Resources for Clinicians
Treatment options are available to people in recovery. Learn about resources available to people with use disorders and their friends and families.
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Resources for Patients, Family & Friends
Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help
This consumer portal prototype is being released to help consumers get to the correct resource to solve their Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder insurance coverage issue.
What to Do If Your Adult Friend or Loved One Has a Problem with Drugs
Find questions and answers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on the signs of use disorder and where to find help.
What to Do If You Have a Problem with Drugs: For Adults
Find questions and answers from NIDA on the signs of use disorder and where to find help.
What to Do If Your Teen or Young Adult Has a Problem with Drugs
Find questions and answers from NIDA on recognizing the signs of use disorder in young people, supporting your child during recovery, and finding professional treatment.
What to Do If You Have a Problem with Drugs: For Teens and Young Adults
Find questions and answers from NIDA on the signs of use disorder, how to ask for help, and where to find help.
Treatment, Prevention & Recovery
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) presents extensive resources on for many issues, including opioid abuse.
Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: Opioid Addiction
NIDA presents brief explanations on the three medication-assisted treatments of opioid use disorder: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction: Facts for Families and Friends
SAMHSA presents information for family and friends about medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. This brochure describes prescribed opioid medications, their proper use and side effects, withdrawal symptoms, and how medications fit with counseling in the recovery process.
Talking to Your Kids About Prescription Drug Abuse: Not Worth the Risk (for Parents)
Help your teenagers learn the facts about prescription drug abuse. This brochure provides information parents need to explain the dangers of prescription drug abuse to their teens, describes the risks of nonmedical prescription drug abuse, and offers practical advice to parents for talking with their teenagers.
Prescription for Disaster: How Teens Abuse Medicine
The resource from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) helps parents understand and identify the medications that teens are currently abusing. Learn what you can do to prevent teens from abusing prescriptions drugs and how to play a role in addressing the nationwide problem.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including opioid treatment programs (OTPs), combines behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance use disorders. These medications relieve withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body.
Medications Used in MAT
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three medications to treat opioid use disorder. Learn about these treatments and where to find more information.
Methadone
Methadone is used in MAT to help people reduce or quit their use of opioids. Find out how methadone works, what its side effects are, how it treats opioid use disorder, and where to find training and additional resources.
Methadone Treatment for Pregnant Women
This brochure urges pregnant women who use heroin or abuse opioid prescription drugs to seek methadone maintenance treatment. Learn how methadone therapy works, and read about related issues such as breastfeeding, infant withdrawal, birth control, and child protection services.
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine is used in MAT to help people reduce or quit their use of opioids. Find out how buprenorphine works, what its side effects are, how it treats opioid use disorder, and where to find training and additional resources.
New Actions to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
A July 6, 2016 press release announcement about the actions the department is taking to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. For more information, see the FACT SHEET - Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders: Increasing the Buprenorphine Patient Limit.
The Facts about Buprenorphine for Treatment of Opioid Addiction
This brochure from SAMHSA gives patients information on buprenorphine and medication-assisted treatment for opioid use idisorder.
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction – April 2012
NIDA presents a brief on the medications available, the benefits of medication-assisted treatment, and research findings.
An Introduction to Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone for the Treatment of People with Opioid Dependence
The extended-release injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol) is a treatment option for opioid dependence. This report from SAMHSA discusses how naltrexone differs from other medication-assisted treatments, safety concerns, and patients most likely to benefit from this treatment.
Drug Courts
Drug Courts
Drug courts are specialized court docket programs that target criminal defendants and offenders, juvenile offenders, and parents with pending child welfare cases who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems.
Adult Drug Courts and Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence
Drug courts help participants recover from use disorder and prevent future criminal activity while also reducing the burden and costs of repeatedly processing low‐level, non‐violent offenders through the nation's courts, jails, and prisons. SAMHSA presents the use of MAT for opioid dependence in drug courts. This report reviews effective medications and provides strategies to increase the use of MAT in drug court programs.
Resources for Clinicians
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
SAMHSA presents forms, training materials, OTP data, and other resources on MAT.
TIP 40: Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction
This treatment improvement protocol (TIP) from SAMHSA helps physicians make decisions about using buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder. Guidance includes information on patient assessment; protocols for opioid withdrawal; and the treatment of pregnant women, teens, and users of multiple substances.
Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction, Clinical Guidelines
Based on TIP 40, SAMHSA presents guidelines for physicians using buprenorphine therapy to treat opioid use disorder. This guidance provides protocols for medication-assisted treatment for opioids and recommendations for baseline laboratory evaluations.
TIP 43: Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in Opioid Treatment Programs
This treatment improvement protocol (TIP) from SAMHSA describes medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, including comprehensive maintenance treatment, detoxification, and medically supervised withdrawal.
Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction
SAMHSA presents a quick guide for physicians using buprenorphine for the medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder. This guide explains how buprenorphine works, patient assessment, treatment protocols, needs of special populations, and policies and procedures.
An Introduction to Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone for the Treatment of People with Opioid Dependence
The extended-release injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol) is a treatment option for opioid dependence. This report from SAMHSA discusses how naltrexone differs from other medication-assisted treatments, safety concerns, and patients most likely to benefit from this treatment.
Apply for Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) Certification
Learn the process for having your OTP certified by SAMHSA and access relevant resources.
Medication for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: Pocket Guide
A Pocket Guide from SAMHSA that provides guidance for the use of medication-assisted treatment for alcoholism and alcohol abuse in clinical practice. It summarizes approved medications and discusses screening and patient assessment, treatment planning, and patient monitoring.
Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Pocket Guide
This pocket guide from SAMHSA provides a checklist for prescribing medication, FDA-approved medications for use in the treatment of opioid use disorder, screening and assessment tools, and best practices for patient care.
