Does your sober living home accept residents on Methadone, Suboxone, Vivitrol, or other medication-assisted treatment (MAT) prescriptions?
If the answer is no, you’re in good company: although exact numbers are hard to come by, it’s fair to say that most sober living homes can’t—or won’t—accept MAT patients as residents.
However, in response to the opioid crisis and changing attitudes about MAT, there is a growing trend in the sober living home community to integrate MAT patients into sober living homes.
Today, we’ll look at this phenomenon and examine the pros and cons of accepting MAT patients into sober living environments.
Why Sober Living Homes Historically Exclude MAT Patients
When dosed correctly and under appropriate supervision, MAT prescriptions don’t make patients feel high. Why, then, do most sober living homes ban the use of these medications?
The answer can be found in the history of sober living homes and MAT.
Sober living homes are historically based in the self-help recovery community (think 12 step programs) and, up until recently, were founded by people with strong connections to AA and NA. While perceptions of MAT are shifting in the 12 step community somewhat, in many places MAT is still considered a “crutch” and a disruption to “true abstinence” by 12 step adherents.
MAT, on the other hand, originates from the scientific and medical community. The recovery community is often distrustful of the medical community because of the stigma so many people with SUD have experienced from doctors and other medical professionals who lack adequate training in the disease of addiction. Patients with SUD often feel misunderstood, judged and/or policed by medical professionals, rather than cared for. It makes sense that any solution to SUD offered by the medical community might be met with skepticism in the recovery community.
In other words, sober living and MAT originate from two different communities with two different experiences and understandings of addiction. They exist, in many ways, in two different worlds. The end result is a major shortage of sober living homes that are MAT compatible.
Why More Sober Living Homes are Beginning to Include MAT Patients
Despite this troubled history, some sober living homes are beginning to accept MAT patients.
While each sober living home has its own unique reasons for making this leap, some of the most common ones we see are:
An improved understanding of the effectiveness of MAT in preventing overdose death and improving long-term recovery outcomes
Greater staff and leadership familiarity with MAT as more people begin trying this form of treatment
An awareness that some categorical exclusions based on medication may violate the Federal Fair Housing Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act
A structural ability to take on the additional staff responsibilities that come with providing transport to MAT clinics, storing MAT medications, supervising MAT doses, and communicating with MAT physicians to ensure adequate dosing and minimize medication diversion
A desire to be competitive in a crowded sober living home landscape with a shortage of MAT compatible housing
Top Considerations for Bringing MAT Patients Into Your Sober Living Home
Thinking about making the leap and including MAT patients into the mix at your sober living home?
Here’s a few things to consider first:
Are your staff on board? You’ll need to offer training and education in MAT for your staff to bring them up to speed on what MAT is, how it works, and why it’s compatible with recovery.
Do you have the infrastructure to support MAT? You’ll need lockboxes for medication and a staff member to supervise dosing in many cases. You’ll also need drug tests that can distinguish opioids of abuse from opioid agonist medications. Consider, too, that MAT patients will need regular—sometimes daily—transportation to and from the MAT clinic.
Will MAT patients feel welcomed by your house culture and philosophy? You may need to make alterations to dearly held traditions or curricula in order to be affirming of MAT patients’ recovery.
Need Help Managing the Additional Tasks Associated with MAT Patients?
Integrating MAT patients into your sober living home is a lot of work.
Keeping track of clinics, doctors, medications, information releases, dosages, and dosing times puts an extra strain on your staff. With BehaveHealth’s Sober Living App, you can keep track of all of this information with ease. Designed specifically for sober living homes like yours, the Sober Living App is cloud-based, which means it can be accessed from any device , anywhere and at any time. Get your free trial today.