Real Recovery From Addiction & Substance Use Disorders Starts With Being Heard
Substance use disorder is a medical condition, not a character flaw. Our board-certified team builds treatment plans around your history, your body chemistry, and your goals — so recovery actually holds.
- 🩺 Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) available on-site
- 🗣️ Individual & group behavioral therapy
- 🔒 Confidential, stigma-free intake process
- 🧭 Coordinated care with primary & mental health providers
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
Opioids create a powerful reward response in the brain, which is exactly why stopping is so much harder than “just deciding to.” Clinically, OUD is defined as an ongoing pattern of opioid use that causes distress or dysfunction, confirmed when a person experiences at least two of the following within any 12-month stretch:
Diagnostic markers our clinicians screen for
- Using more opioids, or using them longer, than originally planned
- Wanting to cut back but repeatedly being unable to
- Spending large amounts of time getting, using, or recovering from opioids
- Experiencing intense cravings or urges to use
- Falling behind on responsibilities at work, school, or home
- Continuing use even as it damages relationships
- Dropping hobbies or social activities because of use
- Using opioids in situations that put you at physical risk
- Continuing use despite worsening physical or mental health
- Needing more of the drug to get the same effect (tolerance)
- Experiencing withdrawal, or using opioids specifically to avoid it
OUD often moves faster than other substance use disorders — physical dependence can set in within four to eight weeks. When use stops abruptly, withdrawal can bring on pain, chills, cramping, nausea, restlessness, and cravings intense enough that returning to use can feel like the only relief. That’s precisely why medically supervised care matters: it removes the physical trap so the psychological work can begin.
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
AUD is a diagnosable brain condition marked by an inability to stop or moderate drinking despite the toll it takes on health, work, or relationships. It spans a spectrum — mild, moderate, or severe — and covers what many people informally call alcohol dependence or alcoholism. Repeated misuse reshapes the brain in ways that make relapse more likely without proper support, which is why treatment, not willpower alone, is the evidence-based path forward.
Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Treatment Options for Alcohol Use Disorder
No single approach works for everyone. We combine medical, behavioral, and peer support, whether care happens on an outpatient or inpatient basis.
FDA-approved options
Naltrexone (oral or long-acting injectable), acamprosate, and disulfiram are all non-addictive and can be used alone or paired with therapy. They work by curbing cravings and reducing the reward of drinking.
Structured counseling
Licensed therapists use brief interventions, motivational approaches, coping-skills training, and mindfulness-based techniques to change the drinking behavior itself, not just manage symptoms.
Mutual-support groups
Community-based groups — in person or online — offer low-cost, ongoing accountability that’s especially valuable during high-risk periods, layered on top of clinical care.
What Substance Use Disorder Looks Like
Substance use disorder (SUD) describes the continued, compulsive use of a substance — alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs — despite mounting harm. As the brain’s judgment, memory, and impulse-control circuits change, cravings intensify and tolerance builds, meaning more of the substance is needed to get the same effect. The same pattern can apply to behaviors, such as compulsive gambling.
Why people start using
Four warning categories we screen for
Impaired control
Strong cravings; repeated failed attempts to cut back.
Social disruption
Missed obligations at work, school, or home; withdrawing from activities.
Risky use
Using in unsafe settings; continuing despite known consequences.
Physical effects
Tolerance building up; withdrawal symptoms appearing between uses.
SUD rarely travels alone
Many patients experience a co-occurring mental health condition — sometimes as a cause, sometimes as a consequence of substance use. Our intake process screens for both, so treatment addresses the whole picture.
How MAT Supports Long-Term Recovery
Only about one in four people with opioid use disorder ever receive specialty treatment. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) pairs FDA-approved medication with counseling and behavioral therapy — targeting the brain chemistry changes addiction causes while also easing cravings and withdrawal. Research consistently shows MAT helps patients stay in treatment longer and reduces both opioid use and overdose risk.
| Medication | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Methadone | Reduces cravings and prevents withdrawal without producing a high once tolerance develops. Dispensed only through specially regulated clinics. |
| Buprenorphine | Blocks the effects of other opioids and eases withdrawal and cravings. Prescribed in standard office settings by specially waivered providers. |
| Naltrexone | Blocks the euphoric effects of opioids entirely. Available as a daily pill or a monthly injection through office-based care. |
These medications aren’t a replacement addiction — they don’t produce a high at treatment doses. Instead, they restore balance to brain circuits disrupted by opioid use, giving counseling and skill-building the room to actually work.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
Whether it’s opioids, alcohol, or another substance, our specialists are ready to build a treatment plan around your life — not the other way around. Reach out today.
Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00 · Sat–Sun 9:00–17:00 ·
support@lanahealthservices.com ·
9500 Medical Center Dr Largo, MD 20774,Suite 262