Opioid Addiction Treatment at NorthStar Recovery Center | Massachusetts’ Leading Recovery Program

What Sets NorthStar Apart in Opioid Addiction Treatment

At NorthStar Recovery Center, we offer a unique blend of holistic and individualized care for opioid addiction that helps you recover regardless of your path to opioid addiction. In addition, we have a team of professionals who value your success above all else and provide care that truly helps you change. This combination sets up apart as a premier opioid addiction treatment center in Massachusetts. If you are struggling with opioid addiction and looking for a guiding light, at NorthStar Recovery Center, we can help. 

Understanding Opioid Addiction: The Growing Crisis

Opioids are a class of drugs that includes many prescription drugs and illegal drugs such as heroin. As a prescription drug, opioids can be used to treat pain, cough, or diarrhea. However, like heroin, prescription opioids are also highly addictive. 

Opioid receptors are naturally occurring in the body to aid in regulation. These receptors connect with naturally occurring molecules in the body that help manage stress, create reward cycles for health behaviors, manage pain, and more. As a result, opioids are effective in managing pain and are, therefore, commonly prescribed.

However, opioids also bind to receptors in the brain that are part of the pleasure centers of the brain. This interaction causes the release of dopamine, creating a high that makes individuals feel significant euphoria and pleasure. In addition, it disrupts the natural rhythm of dopamine in the body and, as a result, is highly addictive. 

The Opioid Epidemic: Impact on Individuals and Communities

Opioid addiction is highly prevalent across the U.S., causing millions of individuals and their loved ones to struggle. In 2022 alone, over 80,000 people died from an opioid-involved overdose. While the specific type of opioid has changed over time, the epidemic of opioid use disorder has continued to rise. 

Behind every individual who struggles with opioid use disorder, there are loved ones and communities that are also affected by opioid addiction. Opioid addiction tears families apart, creates mental health and physical health challenges, and makes previously productive members of communities unable to connect with loved ones. 

At NorthStar Recovery Center, we know that this epidemic is real and important. We offer treatment for opioid use disorder that helps you recover and heal. 

Signs and Symptoms of Opioid Addiction

Opioid addiction looks slightly different for each individual. However, common signs and symptoms include: 

• Intense cravings for opioids
• Changes in attitude of personality
• Loss of interest in social events
• Increasing levels of isolation
• Lying or stealing
• Unexplained changes in weight or health 
• Decrease in performance at school or work
• Moodiness or irritability 
• Changes in sleep patterns 

Our Approach to Treating Opioid Addiction

At NorthStar Recovery, our approach to opioid addiction treatment is to resolve the root causes of addiction. Then, we help patients build skills that aid in their lasting recovery and drug rehabilitation. This includes customized treatment plans, treating mental health challenges, and addressing each patient as a whole person. 

Comprehensive and Personalized Treatment Plans

There are many types of opiates, and the road to opiate abuse varies. In addition, each patient we see has a unique background, personality, and strong preferences. At NorthStar Recovery, we know that a cookie-cutter approach to addiction treatment does not work. Therefore, we take the time to get to know every patient. We listen to their story and their understanding of their addiction and build a comprehensive plan to help. 

Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Addressing Underlying Mental Health Conditions

While not all patients with opioid addiction struggle with their mental health, mental health disorders are commonly found alongside addiction. This is considered a dual diagnosis. At NorthStar Recovery, we consider patients’ mental health, looking for a dual diagnosis when patients first enter treatment. As such, our personalized treatment plans address not only addiction but also offer treatment for mental health. 

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Addiction Recovery

Healing from opioid addiction is very difficult. As individuals become more dependent on opiates, their brain gets accustomed to having the drug in their system. This results in mild to severe withdrawal symptoms when they stop using. Mediction-assisted treatment (MAT) is one method of treatment that can help. Medications are used to decrease withdrawal symptoms and help patients successfully recover from addiction by managing symptoms and protecting them from the physical harm of withdrawal. 

In addition, MAT can be used to help individuals with a dual diagnosis. Medications can be used to treat underlying mental health conditions and, as a result, help them heal from addiction. 

Opioid Addiction Treatment Programs at NorthStar Recovery Center

There is not one perfect route to healing from addiction. At NorthStar Recovery, we understand that every patient needs a different level of care. Our different treatment options offer patients the flexibility to get the support and structure that is helpful for them. In addition, patients can transition between different treatment programs as they slowly transition out of treatment and back to their lives. 

Day Treatment Program (PHP)

Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a day treatment drug rehabilitation program. In PHP, patients live at home or in a sober living/transitional living situation. However, they spend the majority of their time in treatment at one of our locations. Treatment is highly structured and incorporates many different types of therapy depending on the needs of the patient. Commonly, patients spend five days a week, six hours a day in treatment. 

Outpatient Programs (IOP)

The intensive outpatient program (IOP) is also an outpatient program. However, IOP offers significantly more flexibility to patients and less support. Patients spend less time in treatment, which allows them flexibility. IOP is ideal for patients who need structure and support but do not require daily check-ins or monitoring.

Virtual Day Treatment Options

Opioid addiction in Massachusetts is an epidemic, and while we offer treatment in two locations, we strive to offer more that can help others outside of these locations. Virtual day treatment options provide support and care from the comfort of home. This is ideal for clients who are not close to a NorthStar Recovery Center location or others who need the flexibility offered through virtual day treatment. 

Therapeutic Modalities for Opioid Addiction Recovery

Rehab from an opioid addiction looks different for each patient. We believe in building a treatment plan that is composed of therapeutic modalities that aid the unique individual we are treating. The therapies that we offer include individual and group therapy, trauma treatments, and holistic treatment approaches. 

Individual and Group Therapy: Building Community and Support

Therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for opioid addiction. Through individual therapy and group therapy, patients address their root issues and build skills for their recovery. Therapy provides community and support that is vital to addressing these issues and making changes. Healing from addiction cannot happen in isolation. Therapy provides the necessary community. 

At NorthStar Recovery, our psychotherapy program is heavily weighted toward behavioral therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). While different, both CBT and DBT aim to help patients change their behavior and cognitive patterns. Many of these patterns patients have had throughout their lives, and CBT and DBT are structured to help break down these patterns and provide support to find a new way forward. 

Trauma-Informed Care and EMDR Therapy

Opioid addiction and trauma are closely linked. Research shows that individuals with a history of trauma often try to self-soothe with drugs or alcohol and additionally have changes in the brain that predispose them to addiction. At NorthStar Recovery, we provide trauma-informed care, meaning that our professionals take trauma and its impact into every aspect of treatment. 

Additionally, we offer trauma-specific treatments like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is a combination of psychotherapy and specific eye movements that allow patients to reprogram the parts of the brain affected by trauma. 

Mindfulness and Holistic Healing Approaches

Traditional treatments for opioid addiction are generally very effective. However, at NorthStar Recovery, we incorporate mindfulness and holistic healing approaches that set our program apart from others. Through mindfulness and other holistic approaches such as breathwork or meditation, patients relearn to focus, get connected to their bodies and minds, and gain important skills to heal and manage stress. 

Family Involvement in Opioid Addiction Treatment

Our staff at NorthStar Recovery is focused on our patient’s success in alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Family involvement often enhances the treatment process. As a part of treatment, family involvement is focused on the patient. This often involves family therapy that helps improve the patient’s understanding of their challenges with mental health and addiction, including how others are impacted. 

However, part of family involvement is also education. This is particularly important for patients living at home through outpatient treatment. Family members can learn how the patient will change and what they can do to support them on their journey to healing.