There are approximately 1,270 certified opioid treatment programs in America that are treating some 325,000 patients, with only 25,000 of them opting for buprenorphine treatment. Suboxone treatment programs start off with an intake interview that covers medical history, as well as a psychological profile and thorough review of drug abuse habits. It is important to be honest during your intake interview, because the dosage of Suboxone you’re placed on will be based on the dosage and specific types of substances you are accustomed to abusing

Opioid treatment programs are the primary form of harm reduction available to opiate addicts. In addition, needle exchange programs provide sterile injection equipment to injection drug users like heroin addicts. Syringe stations, where users can inject drugs on site to decrease the risk of infectious disease and overdose, are other harm reduction strategies now available to opioid abusers.

The abstinence-only approach is certainly the directive society preaches, and it remains at the core of drug resistance education programs. Which avenue will best suit you may not be discovered until you’re in the thick of treatment. That being said, there are pros and cons to both points of view. Nonetheless, those same programs have often been touted as ineffective at deterring youths from a life of drug abuse. The modern-day addict is looking for a way to get through life, holding down a job, keeping their family intact, and being a productive member of society. So who’s to say it’s a bad thing if the only way they can manage to do that is via a long-term opioid treatment regimen?

Of all recovering addicts, 40-60 percent will relapse. This is far less likely for the substance abuser who is currently enrolled in an opioid treatment program. The biggest question looming around Suboxone is in regard to how long a patient should be on it. While initial intentions for the drug were to provide opioid addicts with a long-term detox option, the maintenance program has no strict limits. Technically, patients do not have to stop taking it, and some don’t, opting for long-term maintenance care.