Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Medication as one part of recovery, never the whole plan

“Medication-Assisted Treatment may be one part of care when clinically appropriate. At Present Moments Recovery, MAT is not a stand-alone solution or the entire treatment model. It is used as part of a broader clinical program that may include medication evaluation, medication management, counseling, treatment planning, relapse prevention, family support, and continuing care. PMR may support physician-prescribed medications such as buprenorphine/Suboxone when appropriate but does not provide methadone treatment on site.”

When families first reach out, the question is usually some version of how do we get them to stop. Stopping matters, but recovery goes deeper than that. For a lot of people, medication can create the stability that makes the deeper work possible. Medication-Assisted Treatment uses physician-prescribed medication, such as buprenorphine/Suboxone, as one component of a broader clinical program. At PMR, MAT is paired with medication evaluation and management, counseling, treatment planning, relapse prevention, family support, and continuing care.

A state-recognized MAT Access Point

Present Moments Recovery received a grant from the California Department of Health Care Services as part of the state's Medication-Assisted Treatment Expansion Project. PMR was one of roughly 200 organizations selected statewide, and the only privately owned treatment program in the region to establish a MAT Access Point. That created the first MAT Access Point in San Diego County focused on buprenorphine-based treatment. The point of the program is simple: expand access to medication treatment, connect people to behavioral health services, support the physicians treating addiction, and lower the barriers that keep people from care.

What MAT is, and isn't

MAT is not a stand-alone solution or the entire treatment model. It's a tool that, when clinically appropriate, can reduce cravings and support stability so the deeper clinical work can happen. A good MAT program has three parts working together: medication to ease cravings and withdrawal, counseling to address the emotional and behavioral patterns underneath, and recovery support to build relapse prevention and life skills.

Explore medication-assisted treatment

Medication for Opioid Cravings

Opioid cravings are physical, not a lack of willpower. Here is how medication can quiet them long enough for real recovery to begin.

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Suboxone Treatment in San Diego

Suboxone can stabilize withdrawal and cravings so recovery work can begin. Here is how we use it as part of a full program in North County San Diego.

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Buprenorphine Treatment

Buprenorphine steadies the brain during early opioid recovery. Here is how it works, how it differs from Suboxone, and how we taper it safely.

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Vivitrol Treatment

Vivitrol is a once-monthly injection that blocks cravings for alcohol and opioids. Here is who it helps and why detox has to come first.

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Medication to Stop Drinking

There are FDA-approved medications that genuinely reduce alcohol cravings. Here is how naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram work.

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How to Stop Alcohol Cravings

Cravings are a normal brain response, not a sign of weakness. Here is why they happen, how long they last, and what actually helps.

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MAT vs Abstinence Recovery

Medication or abstinence? Both can lead to lasting recovery. The real question is what keeps this person alive long enough to get there.

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How Long Should Someone Stay on MAT?

There is no single timeline. The question that matters is not how fast someone stops medication, but what gives them the best shot at recovery.

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MAT for opioid use disorder

Opioid dependence makes recovery hard without medical support. Buprenorphine, often prescribed as Suboxone, is one of the most widely used MAT medications. As a partial opioid agonist it steadies the brain without the high of full opioids, which reduces cravings, prevents severe withdrawal, and blocks the effects of other opioids. Suboxone adds naloxone to lower the risk of misuse. Vivitrol, a monthly naltrexone injection, is another option that blocks opioids entirely after detox.

MAT medications for alcohol use disorder

• Naltrexone and Vivitrol blunt the rewarding effect of alcohol, which lowers the urge to drink.
• Acamprosate helps restore the brain's chemical balance after long-term drinking, usually started after detox.
• Disulfiram acts as a deterrent, causing an unpleasant reaction if someone drinks while taking it.

Is MAT just replacing one drug with another?

This is the worry we hear most, and it's understandable. But it reflects a misunderstanding of how addiction medicine works. Addiction alters the brain's reward and stress systems. MAT medications help restore balance so someone can function normally as they begin recovery. Medications like buprenorphine reduce cravings and withdrawal without causing intoxication. That stability is what lets someone focus on therapy, rebuild relationships, and create a healthier life.

When families should consider MAT

Families often look into MAT after repeated attempts to stop have not held. It may be worth talking about when someone keeps relapsing after detox because cravings stay powerful, when withdrawal is severe enough to make stopping unsafe without help, or when repeated attempts to stop drinking keep coming undone. A clinical conversation helps determine the safest starting point, whether that is medication-assisted detox or outpatient MAT combined with therapy.

MAT within our Continuity of Care

Fragmented care is one of the biggest problems in addiction treatment, where someone detoxes in one place, gets treatment somewhere else, and looks for housing on their own. PMR keeps care connected. Medication support can be woven into each stage when it's clinically appropriate, from medication-assisted detox through residential, outpatient, and structured sober living, so nobody falls through the cracks between steps.

A note for clients with Medi-Cal

While PMR does not bill Medi-Cal for treatment, we can coordinate MAT medications for clients with Medi-Cal through the patient's own existing doctor. If this is your situation, tell us on the call and we'll help you understand the options.