Here's part 1 of my interview with Dr. Anna Lembke where we discuss the shift we're seeing (in a good way) in residential treatment centers for addiction and substance abuse.
Video transcript:
Dr. Halligan:
If we could just broaden the available options at the substance abuse chemical dependency treatment centers, that would be magnificent.
Dr. Lembke:
There is good news on that front. I have seen more and more residential treatment centers that used to not provide opioid agonist treatment. Now they're providing that. I know the merger of Hazelden and Betty Ford was really a revolution. And prior to that those institutions did not universally provide medication assisted treatment or opioid agonist therapy and now they do. So I think we're, by small incremental steps, we're heading in a better direction, but we still have a long way to go.
Dr. Halligan:
I love that you mentioned Hazelden Betty Ford. I remember, maybe five years ago, that was the only residential treatment program I would call. Because not only would they put somebody on methadone or buprenorphine, they believed in maintenance therapy, which is what the research is pointing to. And they could allow the patients to take buprenorphine or methadone and live in a halfway house for six to 12 months. Whereas I could get somebody occasionally on buprenorphine or methadone, but then the halfway house system would say, well, they can't take it here. And I'm like, wow, but maintenance is the way to go. So what do I do with this young person who also has an alcohol problem or a marijuana problem, or a cocaine problem, and they really need the structure of a halfway house living they're not ready to be independent and sent back to a drinking girlfriend or a drug using circle of friends, where can I send them where they can stay on these life saving potentially life saving medications?
Dr. Lembke:
Yes, you're speaking to an important problem that persists, including in our jails and prisons, right? People who have been stabilized on methadone maintenance or buprenorphine, then because of life circumstances, they end up in jail or prison and then no longer have access to those medications. Although again, I'm seeing some shift there, some jails and prisons around the country now offering
For more information or to contact Anna Lembke, MD, please visit:
www.annalembke.com
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