Addiction Medicine

What is addiction medicine?

Addiction is a chronic but treatable disease that affects your brain's function and behaviors. Your risk for addiction may be higher because of your brain chemistry, genetics, life experiences, and environment.

Addiction medicine involves services that help you recover safely from addictions to:

• Alcohol
• Nicotine
• Illicit drugs
• Prescription medications

Stanton Family Clinic offers services to diagnose, treat, and prevent addiction to protect your short-term and long-term health. They also provide ongoing care to help you achieve a successful recovery.

When should I schedule an addiction medicine consultation?

When you drink excessive amounts of alcohol or abuse drugs, it causes changes in your brain. Quitting alcohol or drugs can lead to a wide range of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that make long-term recovery difficult. These symptoms can include:

• Pain
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Memory issues
• Chills and sweating

You should schedule an addiction medicine consultation at Stanton Family Clinic if you’re misusing or abusing substances like alcohol or drugs but can’t stop on your own due to severe withdrawal symptoms.

You should also schedule a consultation if your addiction is harming your relationships, your job, and your ability to meet other responsibilities.

What can I expect during my addiction medicine consultation?

During your addiction medicine consultation, the Stanton Family Clinic team spends time learning about your addiction and reviews the severity of your symptoms. They perform a physical exam and may order bloodwork or other diagnostic tests to assess your overall health.

In some cases, people abuse drugs or alcohol to cope with emotional or physical pain. For this reason, the providers can also screen for underlying mental or physical health issues that can contribute to your addiction.

Based on the results of your evaluation, the team designs a treatment plan to help you stop using drugs or alcohol for good. They can recommend medications that lessen the side effects of withdrawal during your initial detox. 

Some people may benefit from ongoing medications to control cravings for drugs and alcohol such as Suboxone and Vivitrol (MAT).

In addition to medication therapies, the providers may recommend ongoing counseling services to help you better manage your emotional and mental health. Counseling can also help you repair relationships and rebuild your self-esteem in the long term.

Call Montgomery Family Care to schedule an addiction medicine consultation or book an appointment online today.