5
Patient Participation
• Patient participation in treatment and recovery is shown to
improve outcomes. Treatment will be ongoing, as addiction is
a chronic disease. For this reason, an agreed upon treatment
plan ahead of time is strongly recommended.
• At the same time, a patient should expect to be treated with
respect and dignity and have concerns listened to when
starting or changing the treatment plan.
• To avoid health problems, patients must share with clinicians
any other medications they are taking or if they drink alcohol
regularly. This is very important – certain medications and
regular alcohol use can cause major problems with certain
treatment medications.
• Common patient responsibilities include:
• Keeping all appointments
• Agreeing to drug testing on a regular basis
• Taking medications as prescribed
• Only using drugs that are prescribed
• Allowing and encouraging involvement of family and
friends
• Avoiding persons, places and situations that may cause
a person to use a substance again after a period of not
using—also known as relapse.
Counseling
• Counseling is an important part of treatment and is usually
required with all medications.
• Counseling should be done with a qualified clinician or
health professional – this person will play an important role
with the care team. Counseling may be done in the same
place the medication is given, or by another clinician outside
the treatment setting.
• Counseling helps patients address personal, social or
other problems that may contribute to their addiction.
Examples can be:
• Improving feelings of self-worth
• Difficult situations at work or home
• Spending time with people who use drugs or alcohol
