Most patients are not able to achieve sobriety from opioids in their first attempt. 

ABCD worksheet for Opioid Use Disorder.

Research shows that effective opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment must include a medication such as buprenorphine, methadone, or injectable naltrexone as its main component.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on a patient’s own motivation and commitment to change.

Contingency management (CM) is a strategy based on rewarding positive behaviors to encourage change.

The goal of motivational interviewing is to enhance your patient’s motivation to decrease their alcohol intake. 

A key ingredient of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol use disorder is discussing automatic negative thoughts that may trigger drinking

An intervention is a planned meeting with the patient, the family, and usually an addiction professional (an interventionist). 

Including family meetings in your treatment of alcohol-using patients (or any psychiatric patients, for that matter) can help you better understand treatment challenges and therefore help achieve long-term sobriety. 

Regardless of what kind of treatment you choose for your patient, it’s important to remind yourself of the key feature of any successful treatment—a good treatment alliance.