Stronger Together: Combining Medication for Opioid Use Disorders With 12-Step Recovery Support to Achieve Five-Year Recovery

Treatment for opioid use disorders is often polarized, separating programs that use medications from those that do not. At the two ends are programs that provide medications, but do not expect abstinence from nonmedical substance use, and others that expect abstinence, but do not provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The disparagement of programs using different strategies undermines the entire field of addiction treatment.

This session will present a peace plan that recognizes that continued use of medications including methadone and buprenorphine in the absence of the nonmedical use of addictive substances including alcohol and marijuana is consistent with full recovery. This session encourages the use of MOUD in abstinence-based programs where it can improve program retention and long-term outcomes. The integration of recovery support, including 12-step fellowships, from the first days of treatment, can improve long-term outcomes for patients receiving MOUD. Integrating the various paths to recovery, identifying the appropriate populations for different pathways, and collaborating in the best interest of public health will strengthen the field of addiction.

The experience of several leading programs overcoming this great divide to successfully integrate medications in an abstinence-based program and integrating recovery support into MOUD will be presented. This session will highlight the benefits of combining these evidence-based practices and will highlight recent outcome data. This session aims to support the current trend combining such evidence-based practices to improve patient outcomes.