Reducing Stigma Through Education to Enhance Medication-Assisted Recovery

Abstract

The National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery has started projects to address the stigma that impacts medication-assisted treatment. The Certified Medication Assisted Treatment Advocate Program trains patients and professionals for advocacy in seminars and conferences. The MARS Project educates (Einstein, Bronx, New York) buprenorphine and methadone patients to dispel stigma and achieve better treatment outcomes. Beyond MARS trains patients nationwide to replicate the MARS Project. Stop Stigma Now will create a national public relations campaign to overcome ignorance and stigma. These projects have the potential to end stigma and elevate medication-assisted treatment to its rightful place as the gold standard of treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Advocacy
• medication assisted treatment
• methadone
• buprenorphine
• stigma
• discrimination

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (TI022790 and TI022790 supp).

Notes

a. In 2009 the organization changed its public name to the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery to include all medications