Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) at Kolmac Evidence-based addiction treatment
For many patients, the early stages of treatment are the most physically demanding. Withdrawal symptoms and cravings can make it difficult to engage meaningfully in therapy. MAT addresses that barrier directly, reducing withdrawal discomfort and cravings so patients can focus on the clinical work rather than simply getting through the day.
At Kolmac Integrated Behavioral Health, MAT is integrated into a coordinated treatment plan alongside group therapy, individual counseling, and ongoing psychiatric support — not managed in isolation.
What is medication-assisted treatment?
The National Institutes of Health and SAMHSA define MAT as:
“The use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a ‘whole-patient’ approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Medications used in MAT are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and MAT programs are clinically driven and tailored to meet each patient’s needs.”
MAT is considered a piece of a broader, comprehensive approach to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, focusing on the psychological, emotional, and social drivers of disordered substance use.
Characterizing MAT as “substituting one medication for another” fails to capture its clinical reality. In essence, treating opioid use disorder with buprenorphine is akin to managing diabetes with insulin or hypertension with beta-blockers.
The medication addresses a physiological imbalance so the patient can engage in the behavioral and psychological work that treatment requires.
Medications we use at Kolmac
FDA-approved medications used in MAT normalize chemical balance in the brain and body, block the action of opioids on the nervous system, and reduce physiological cravings for opioids and alcohol.
Buprenorphine has been in use in Europe since the 1990s and in the U.S. since 2003. It’s a partial opioid agonist — it partially occupies opioid receptors in the brain, reducing withdrawal and cravings without triggering the euphoria associated with prescription or illicit opioids.
While a patient is on buprenorphine, other opioids can have less of an effect.
For people who don’t want to take an opioid-based medication such as buprenorphine, naltrexone is an effective alternative for OUD.
Naltrexone has also been shown to be effective in reducing relapse to alcohol use, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It reduces cravings for alcohol and diminishes the pleasurable effects of drinking, both of which reduce the likelihood of relapse.
Antabuse, when used with a complete treatment strategy, can support better outcomes for those with alcohol use disorder.
As part of a structured withdrawal protocol, Kolmac’s medical team guides benzo tapering by using a supervised reduction schedule, aiming to minimize risks and facilitate a safe move to ongoing treatment.
Who qualifies for MAT at Kolmac?
MAT is indicated when it would be dangerous or physically uncomfortable to manage withdrawal without medication.
Each case is evaluated individually during Kolmac’s comprehensive intake and assessment process, which considers:
- Substance use and treatment history
- Current medications
- Medical history
- Each patient’s personal treatment goals
MAT is available across all levels of outpatient care at Kolmac — IOP, PHP, and outpatient — integrated into the broader treatment plan rather than managed separately.
For those who need medically supervised withdrawal management before entering structured programming, Kolmac’s virtual detox program provides home-based withdrawal management with clinical oversight throughout.
MAT and IOP: How they work together
MAT and IOP address different but complementary dimensions of treatment.
Medication stabilizes brain chemistry, reduces cravings, and manages withdrawal — creating the neurological conditions that make engagement in therapy possible.
IOP (intensive outpatient treatment) addresses the behavioral, psychological, and social factors that maintain substance use.
Neither is enough by itself. MAT without structured therapy leaves the behavioral and psychological dimensions of substance use unaddressed. Therapy without medication, for patients who need it, requires the brain to do work it isn’t yet neurologically equipped to do.
Together, they form the evidence-based combination that produces the strongest outcomes for OUD and AUD. At Kolmac, the same clinical team coordinates medication management and IOP, rather than separate providers handling them.
Frequently asked questions
Some patients benefit from a time-limited course during early treatment; others benefit from longer-term maintenance.
Kolmac’s clinical team determines the duration collaboratively with each patient, without a predetermined endpoint.
MAT and IOP are designed to work together at Kolmac, coordinated within the same clinical team.
