Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a severe illness that can wreck lives and lead to early death. If you need help with addiction treatment, visit Berhanu Bedassa, PMHNP, at Bridge of Hope Mental Health Services in Portland, Oregon. Berhanu uses approved medication and ongoing counseling to help you get through drug and alcohol withdrawal. Call Bridge of Hope Mental Health Services or schedule a consultation online today for effective addiction treatment.

Why might I need addiction treatment?

You’ll benefit from addiction treatment if you have a drug dependency that you can’t quit. Many substances can lead to addiction, including illegal opioids like heroin, prescription opioid medications, and alcohol. These substances create a mental and physical dependency that can take over your life.

Substance use at first offers relief from the problems of everyday life. But the effects are fleeting and become increasingly difficult to achieve. Continued substance misuse makes mental health problems worse and leads to addiction. Your behavior will likely change, making you increasingly irritable and miserable.

As your addiction worsens, you could get into debt, be unable to work, and see your relationships crumble. People with addictions face losing their homes and families. They’re vulnerable to abuse, more likely to commit crimes to fund their habit, and could contract infections like hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

If you recognize that addiction is taking over your life, Bridge of Hope Mental Health Services offers effective, proven treatment to help you get back on track.

Why do I need help overcoming addiction?

Addiction is a psychiatric condition (substance use disorder), so overcoming it yourself is a considerable challenge that most people would struggle with. One of the main problems is withdrawal — the phase you go through when you stop taking your chosen drug.

Because of the mental and physical changes substance use causes, quitting results in many distressing symptoms, including:

• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Headaches and migraines
• Severe pain
• Shaking
• Sweating
• Stomach cramps
• Intense cravings

Withdrawal is so unpleasant that people feel they must use their chosen drug again to stop their symptoms. With expert addiction treatment, you control withdrawal for a far better chance of succeeding.

What does addiction treatment involve?

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the leading approach to treating addiction. At Bridge of Hope Mental Health Services, Berhanu offers MAT for opioid and alcohol addiction. He uses medications like buprenorphine for opioid withdrawal and naltrexone for alcohol withdrawal.

These substances mimic the action addictive drugs have without giving you the high. They also reduce cravings because they satisfy the part of your brain that triggers the drive to use again.

By law, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) offering MAT must ensure patients receive psychotherapy (talk therapy or counseling) and additional services, including medical, educational, and vocational (work-focused) support.

Call Bridge of Hope Mental Health Services or book an addiction treatment appointment online today.