Abstract
Methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone are medication assisted treatment (MAT) options for treating opioid use disorder, yet attitudes regarding their use within abstinence-based recovery homes have not been assessed. The present investigation examined attitudes regarding MAT utilization among residents living in Oxford Houses. This cross-sectional investigation compared residents (n = 87) receiving MAT whose recent drug use involved opioids, and two groups not receiving MATs; those who had used opioids and those who had used substances other than opioids. The vast majority of residents were not receiving MAT, yet 32% reported MAT histories. Negative attitudes regarding MAT were observed among residents who were not receiving MAT. Those presently receiving MAT reported mixed attitudes regarding the use of methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone, and two of these residents reported they had never been prescribed MAT. Findings suggest that abstinence-based recovery homes such as Oxford Houses may not be optimal resources for persons receiving MATs.
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Change history
24 March 2018
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author group, where co-authors Isabel Dovale, Noah Gelfman and Sarah Callahan were missed to include and Brandon Isler should be removed from the author group.
Notes
We used the termed “using addict” in our survey because it is an idiom frequently used by Narcotics Anonymous (NA) members to represent one who is intentionally using substances for the purpose of altering one’s mood/mind. Although we respectfully acknowledge NA members’ use and identification with the term “addict,” we do not condone the use of this term in the pejorative sense.
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Majer, J.M., Beasley, C., Stecker, E. et al. Oxford House Residents’ Attitudes Toward Medication Assisted Treatment Use in Fellow Residents. Community Ment Health J 54, 571–577 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0218-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0218-4