In 2016, 2.1 million Americans had an addiction to an opioid pain medicine, making knowledge about opioid addiction more critical than ever. This guide will highlight opioid recovery statistics from up to 2019. With more research and treatments available today, more patients can have successful recoveries.
Can I Recover From Opioid Addiction in 2019?
As a person entering recovery from opioid addiction, you have more support available than in the past. Healthcare providers across the United States offer services for people with addictions to substances like opioids. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 14,500 facilities offer specialized treatment for substance use disorders. In 2017, patient numbers for methadone, buprenorphine and naloxone treatments sharply increased, showing that more patients now use these services.
In short, yes, you can recover from opioid addiction in 2019, and you have plenty of support systems to help you.
How Does Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Help Patients Recover?
During medication-assisted treatment (MAT), a patient takes medicine to manage their withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Today’s MAT programs also offer behavioral health services like therapy to help patients learn recovery skills. MAT medications include methadone and buprenorphine. These statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse demonstrate their effectiveness:
- Patients who take methadone have up to a 4.44 times higher chance of staying in treatment than patients who don’t take MAT medicine.
- When taking a therapeutic dose of buprenorphine, patients can have up to a 1.82 times higher chance of staying in treatment than those not taking the medication.
- Methadone and buprenorphine have similar success rates when doctors prescribe evidence-based amounts.
Does MAT Have Extra Benefits?
In addition to keeping patients on the path to recovery, MAT helps them practice healthier behaviors in other areas of life. Various statistics show how MAT leads to better well-being for patients:
- MAT reduces potential HIV risks related to opioid injections. It lowers the rate of HIV transmission through the reuse and sharing of needles.
- Patients who take part in methadone-based MAT for a long time have a lower risk of criminal involvement than short-term MAT patients.
- Methadone-based MAT also improves employment rates for patients who stay for a year or more.
Should We Worry About Methadone or Buprenorphine Diversion?
Since methadone and buprenorphine count as opioids, many people have the misconception that MAT replaces one addiction with another. The truth is that doctors design MAT treatment plans to relieve symptoms without causing euphoria. Methadone and buprenorphine also have low diversion rates compared to pain-relieving opioids like oxycodone. These statistics show how treatment needs outweigh diversion risk:
- Out of all opioid medications, methadone and buprenorphine make up 15% of diversion cases. For reference, 67% of opioid diversion cases involve oxycodone and hydrocodone.
- In cases where a patient diverted buprenorphine, more than 90% reported that they wanted to reduce cravings or withdrawal symptoms.
- Among patients who diverted methadone, 80% reported that they wanted to help someone else with an opioid addiction.
Discover More 2019 Opioid Statistics and Education
As researchers study opioid addiction, we’ll get even more promising data about opioid addiction recovery. Keep up with these updates and learn more about opioid addiction by visiting our blog today.
