1- What is addiction Medicine Treatment?

It depends on the person, but the big picture is: 

Detox → Treatment → Healthier happier life

Addiction Medicine Physicians don’t consider detox treatment because if nothing is done after detox there is a 95% chance of relapse, but if treatment is done (data is for opioids) there is a 60-70% chance of sobriety. Treatment typically means a 3-4 prong approach.  

The Prongs are 

1-  Mutual Group/12-step program (Such as AA or Smart Recovery)

2- Counselling “Treatment”-  Residential/PHP/IOP/Aftercare +/- sober living

3- Medical Management 

4- +/- Treat other conditions directly related to addiction rate (chiefly pain and psych issues)

What are mutual help groups such as 12 step recovery/AA?

2- Do I have to do all the things that are recommended?

Addiction Medicine Physicians generally say treatment involves a 3-4 prong approach. To maximize sobriety you should do all of them. Doing everything that is recommended maximizes the odds of sobriety using evidence-based medicine. Even not having one of the programs can substantially decrease the odds  (sort of like the horse analogy or stool analogy explained in the video) 

What to do if a loved one has an addiction problem?

3- What is MAT?

MAT stands for Medication Assisted Treatment. This is just a fancy way of saying using medications in addition to counseling to help with addiction. It usually refers to opioid use disorder treatment. 

4- Which one do you recommend and why?

I recommend the 3-4 prong approach mentioned above. Some substances don’t have medical management associated with treatment. When medicines are involved it depends on what substance you take and what approach is being used. I will talk about this in the future.