Combining Treatments for Opioid Addictions

In 2018 the National Survey of Drug Use and Health reported that 9.9 million people misused prescription pain relievers out of 10.3 million who reported using opioids. Opioid abuse has grown from just being considered a medical dilemma, it has clearly become a social and economic issue (Eaton and Vettese, 2020). This proposal will be investigating the combination of pre-existing pharmacological treatments and support group therapy. This is not a new concept however because of the nature of opioid addictions having severe withdrawal symptoms most treatments are primarily medication base. Drug addictions have been known to carry a negative stigma which can lead to prescribed opioid abusers feeling isolated. By adding a support group therapy, like the one used in alcohol abuse such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to the medication base therapy the opioid patients can lessen the internalized stigma and receive the help needed. The proposed methods will be observing 10 clinical settings which will divide their opioid patients into two groups receiving either the combine therapy or just the pharmacological therap