Aftercare course Session 07
MAT and MOUD. Co-occurring conditions. Psychiatric medication. And how to handle the stigma you may meet in some of the rooms.
What you'll learn
01
Buprenorphine and methadone reduce overdose death from opioid use disorder by roughly fifty percent. Naltrexone and acamprosate measurably help with alcohol use disorder. These are not opinions. They are findings, replicated, in study after study. The medication is the platform that makes the work possible.
02
Half of people with SUD have a co-occurring mental health condition. The substance was, very often, doing a job — numbing depression, quieting anxiety, slowing a brain that wouldn't slow on its own. Get evaluated by someone who treats both. Don't stop a psychiatric medication because someone in a meeting told you to.
03
Some recovery rooms still carry old beliefs about medication. You don't need to argue with them. You need a clinician you trust, a homegroup that supports your treatment, and a short calm answer for when it comes up: 'I take what my doctor prescribed. I'm not interested in debating it.'
What the data actually says
If you are on buprenorphine, you are sober. If you are on methadone, you are sober. If you are on naltrexone, on acamprosate, on Vivitrol. If you are on an antidepressant, on a mood stabilizer, on an anti-anxiety medication, on a stimulant for ADHD — you are sober.
The single most preventable cause of relapse and overdose in the first year of recovery is people getting talked off of medication that was working. Sometimes it's a meeting. Sometimes it's a family member. Sometimes it's the voice in their own head — a misplaced sense that real recovery means doing it raw.
That voice is not your conscience. That voice is, very often, the disease finding a respectable-sounding reason for you to remove the thing that has been keeping you stable. Watch for it. Recovery is the goal. The medication is one of the most effective tools we have for reaching the goal. The goal is the life. Anything that helps you build the life is a good tool.
Your worksheet
Three steps that put you back in the driver's seat with your own treatment.
Session 7 · Worksheet
Ten quiet minutes. Answers save on this device as you type — no account, no upload.
Three reflection prompts for the week
For the meds
Write down every medication you're currently taking — brand and generic, dose, what it's for, who prescribed it, how long you've been on it. If anything on the list confuses you, write the question next to it. Bring those questions to your prescriber at the next visit.
For the evaluation
If you have not had a dual-diagnosis psychiatric evaluation since you got sober, schedule one this week. Ask for someone who treats both addiction and mental health. Even if you feel fine, a baseline is useful. If you don't feel fine, it's essential.
For the room
Honestly assess: is your homegroup medication-friendly? Have you heard people talk openly and respectfully about MAT, antidepressants, ADHD meds? If not — or if you don't know — start sampling other meetings. SMART, MARA, and many AA/NA meetings are medication-friendly in practice. SobaSearch will help.
Up next
The pile of consequences that was waiting on your desk while you were in treatment. Work, money, legal — and the reason ignoring the kitchen table is itself a relapse risk.
Continue to session 8If this brought up more than it answered
CVR recovery coaches work with one client at a time. Private, one-on-one, no scripts. If you want to talk to someone, we can usually get back to you within a few hours.
If you need help right now
These lines are free, confidential, and open 24/7 — for you, for your person, or for anyone you love. You don't have to be in the worst moment to call.
Overdose or medical emergency
911
Signs of overdose: slow or stopped breathing, blue or gray lips or fingertips, gurgling, unresponsive. Call 911, give naloxone (Narcan) if you have it, and roll them onto their side. Stay on the line.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988
Call or text 988 any time you — or someone you love — is in emotional crisis, thinking about suicide, or just can't carry it alone tonight.
SAMHSA National Helpline
1-800-662-HELP
Free, confidential treatment referral and information for individuals and families dealing with substance use. In English and Spanish.
Never Use Alone
1-800-484-3731
A person answers, stays on the line while someone uses, and calls for help if they stop responding. No judgment — harm reduction, not intervention.
Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
Substance use and abuse often overlap. If you're being hurt, threatened, or controlled — physically, emotionally, or financially — trained advocates can help you think through what's next.
Naloxone (Narcan)
Get it free
Naloxone reverses opioid overdose. It's available over the counter, and many programs mail it for free. Keep it in your house, your car, your bag — even if you don't think you need it.
A note on privacy: If you're reading this on a shared device, consider clearing your browser history when you're done. If you're in danger at home, know that these links open in this tab — your back button will show you were here.
Find help near you
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