Addiction treatment is without doubt one of the most challenging sides of medical management in modern society. The multiple layers involved in addiction can make it hard for definitive solutions to be provided, and for people to get the help and the care that they need. However, The South Carolina Primary Care Specialists clinic, Forestbrook, has become a location that is showing major steps forward in helping its patients get the treatment that it is needed.
They work alongside addiction counsellors and care doctors, and have a wildly impressive 88% success rate when it comes to dealing with addiction in patients. It opened in August 2017, and in that time has already shown a massive level of development. The program is aimed with the intent of expanding it further, any many associate the clinic with their own survival and future success afterward.
One addict, Ashley Mcelveen, said of the clinic: “It was either my marriage and my children or the street life, the dope life, because there’s no in between.”
She’d struggled with heroin addiction for around a decade, but believes that she’s more likely to succeed this time due to the quality of recovery provided by the people who run the clinic. It’s a very impressive success rate, and part of it comes from their use of the prescription drug Suboxone.
Suboxone is a medication that has become commonly used in the industry. It’s known to help curb the feelings of withdrawal that can make stopping so hard for an addict. It helps the addict to feel more alert and more comfortable in their surroundings, removing any of the anxiety that often comes with freeing oneself from addiction.
“That helps a lot, not having to worry about, ‘Am I gonna be sick?’ It helps me focus just on the program, and on me and getting myself together,” Mcelveen added.
A Transformative Change
The clinic has also made sure that patients have a level of accountability that might not be found in over clinics. They hold their patients accountable for their own actions, and make sure that the patient can get more than just a platitude-based form of treatment.
Paul Coswar, the COO for the SCPCS, said the aim is to know: “How are they doing on the medication? How are they doing in therapy? Are they attending group? Are they making progress? And that open communication really allows that patient to really experience the best treatment available,”
Mcelveen, too, had some inspiring advice for those who are suffering from the effects of the stigma of addiction, saying: “Don’t let fear and shame and guilt get in the way of your recovery. One day at a time God will get you through this,”
For those who feel like they are in a dangerous or worrisome position due to their care needs care treatment programs like the SCPCS – currently looking into further expansion – will play a major role in making sure that those who require more empathetic, treatment-based care can find assistance.