Common MAT Misconceptions Debunked

Common MAT Misconceptions Debunked

Medically Assisted Treatment refers to certain opioid medications that are widely used to treat addiction and dependence on prescription and illicit opioids. Suboxone, also known as Buprenorphine, has become the industry standard for MAT in the United States.

Addiction is a life-long ailment for which there is no cure. Existing treatments and intervention methods show high rates of failure and a grim prognosis. For example, the success rate of intensive inpatient rehab in the United States is said to be 5%. Meanwhile, once a patient reaches their 12^th month on MAT, the success rate is 60%. The numbers do not lie. When MAT is utilized, it works better than any other addiction treatment. It is an asset in curbing the opioid epidemic. If the true concern is fighting the opioid epidemic and decreasing opioid related fatalities, MAT should be revered as the best thing since sliced bread.

But it is not.

 Unfortunately, the use of MAT is heavily scrutinized by those ignorant to the facts. Even within the recovery community, MAT patients are heavily scrutinized. The reasons are complex and perhaps up for debate. However, I believe one cause to be clear: Anti-Addiction sentiment has been instilled in American culture since the launch of the Drug War. People suffering from addictions have been depicted as morally bankrupt streetwalkers, second-class citizens, and people undeserving of compassion.

 “They only thing they deserve is to be in a jail cell!”

 This sentiment has been so strongly instilled into our society, that it even reaches some addiction sufferers, as they engage in a sort of self-loathing. In recent times, sentiment has slowly changed to validate those suffering from addictions, but misconceptions remain common and overall sentiment remains largely negative. Another problem is that it’s easier to condemn than it is to accept. In fact, many individuals derive pleasure from condemning someone else. Therefore, a lot of people refuse to accept evidence because they simply don’t want to hear it. Therefore, many misconceptions exist.

Here are some common misconceptions about MAT:

1. “It’s just trading one drug for another”

This misconception is amazingly easy to debunk. If we entertain this argument, we can apply it to other things. Let us say Bob does not have the best eating habits and has McDonald’s for dinner every day. Finally, he decides to make some changes. Instead of McDonald’s for dinner, Bob is going to have a salad.

Bob just traded one food for another. He is obviously addicted to food and uses eating to cope with stress. This is unhealthy. If Bob stops eating McDonald’s and has a salad instead, he will just add croutons to it—He add unhealthy dressing in copious amounts. Eventually, he will fry up ground hamburger with melted cheddar cheese and make cheeseburger salads. Bob is just trading one addiction for another.

This argument is flawed when applied to Bob’s situation. Bob is taking a positive step in the right direction which is cessation of fatty foods. This is an accomplishment. Even if Bob has an eating addiction, he is engaging in harm reduction.

Switching from illicit opioids to suboxone holds the same meaning. Someone who is addicted to heroin can easily spend hundreds of dollars on their habit daily. Becoming financially destitute as a result of illicit opioid use is extremely common, no matter how financially well-off the user is. Alternatively, when a heroin user switches to MAT, their finances become much more predictable. Instead of unpredictable and sporadic spending, MAT requires the same financial commitment every month. One can plan MAT into their budget. There is no budget plan that fits in a heroin habit.

This is one step in the right direction. Additionally, switching to MAT allows the patient life stability. Illicit opioid use is not only expensive but time-consuming as well—It robs the individual of the ability to keep a schedule. Someone physically addicted to opioids will most likely choose opioids to any other commitment made, no matter how important. I know someone who missed the birth of their first child to go obtain opioids. Relying on black market dealers to obtain substances is a very unstable way to live. In some cases, several hours to entire days are spent obtaining substances.

Switching to MAT allows the patient financial stability as well as the ability to spend less time obtaining opiates and more time making improvements to their life.

So when someone dismisses MAT as “trading one drug for another”, they are grossly overgeneralizing a very intricate issue, and therefore are doing a disservice to it.

2. “Being on MAT is just a crutch.”

This argument suggests that the patient is displaying weakness by taking medication to curb their illicit opioid use.

Let us direct our attention to a similar scenario. Just about half the population of this country is on heart medication—That is 150 million people. Using the logic put forward in this argument, these 150 million people should not be taking their heart medication because it is “just a crutch”

Someone who supports the “crutch” argument will tell you that it’s a different situation when it’s something like heart disease. This is flawed logic as it claims that certain diseases are validated and others are not, and no reason is given for these distinctions.

Addiction is a mental illness for where there is no cure—It is life altering and oftentimes life threatening. Suggesting that the sufferer of an addiction should not take medication to treat it is absurd.

The individual putting forward the “crutch argument” is marginalizing addiction and they need to be taught that receiving treatment for it is as valid as receiving treatment for heart disease.

3. “It’s depending on something and dependency is not good therefore being on MAT forever is bad. It’s only acceptable if you plan to be off it at some point”

For this one, I will signal to the preceding arguments I’ve put forward:

To the 150 million Americans on heart medication, is it wrong for them to be dependent on their heart medication? If they plan to stay on their medication indefinitely, will you also invalidate them like you invalidate MAT patients? What about people who wear glasses? Is it bad that they “depend on something?” Is their dependence on eyeglasses invalid because they do not “have a plan to get off” them?

Any reasonable person understands how absurd these scenarios sound. They sound just as absurd when applied to Suboxone and Methadone therapy. Any disagreement to this statement is a result of ignorance and an unwillingness to understand.

4. “You’re still getting high.”

 

Many believe that Suboxone is “synthetic heroin” This is far from the truth. Suboxone and heroin are two different drugs serving two different purposes. Heroin was first synthesized in 1895 and was used as a pain medication until it was made illegal in 1924.

Suboxone and Methadone were created for the single purpose of treating life altering opioid addiction.

The typical MAT patient previously had a daily opioid habit. Someone with a daily opioid habit does not get high on suboxone. In fact, Suboxone was designed to block any high or euphoria.

The only people who feel euphoric effects from suboxone are people who have no opioid tolerance and should not be taking it in the first place. In a case like this, the suboxone was likely to be obtained illicitly.

Any patient with a prescription to Suboxone is not getting high from it.

So there we have it. These are the most common misconceptions concerning MAT. Negative perception tends to outshine actual truth. In 12 Step Meetings, MAT patients are shunned and ejected, which often leads to isolation and an increased chance of relapse. Raising awareness about MAT will prevent these misconceptions.