Why Tarzana Treatment Centers Defines MAT as Medications for Addiction Treatment
Across behavioral health systems, MAT is most often defined as medication-assisted treatment. While clinically accurate, this phrasing frequently fails to explain what MAT actually means to people seeking help in moments of fear, crisis, or uncertainty. At Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC), MAT is intentionally defined as Medications for Addiction Treatment, a choice grounded in clarity, accessibility, and lifesaving impact.
Medications for Addiction Treatment: Meaning
The term medication-assisted treatment can unintentionally suggest that medication is secondary or optional, something that merely “assists” recovery rather than serving as a core medical intervention. TTC sought a different way to describe the service.
Addiction is a chronic, treatable medical condition, and medication is often a foundational tool for stabilizing brain chemistry, reducing cravings, preventing overdose, and enabling individuals to engage in therapy and recovery services fully.
MAT Services and Real World Barriers
Language matters most when people are vulnerable. Clinical shorthand can feel abstract or confusing, especially for individuals unfamiliar with medical systems. By using Medications for Addiction Treatment, TTC makes the purpose of MAT explicit: these are medications designed to treat addiction, just as medications treat diabetes or heart disease. This clarity can be the difference between someone seeking care and disengaging before treatment begins.
Research strongly supports this approach. A study indexed in the National Library of Medicine notes:
“MAT has resulted in reductions in overdose deaths, criminal activity, and infectious disease transmission. Access to MAT in rural areas is limited by shortages of addiction medicine-trained providers, lack of access to comprehensive addiction programs, transportation, and cost-related issues.”
This evidence highlights both the effectiveness of MAT and the real-world barriers that prevent access. Clear, accessible language is one way to lower those barriers by helping people understand that adequate medical treatment exists.
TTC’s commitment to clarity is reflected in the way it delivers its services. As stated on the TTC website about Medications for Addiction Treatment:
“TTC provides MAT services across all levels of care as part of our SUD treatment programs. We specialize in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. Medications for Addiction Treatment options like Suboxone, Sublocade, Vivitrol, Buprenorphine, Methadone, and Naltrexone are safe and effective treatments. Additionally, the Methadone and Buprenorphine Maintenance Programs at TTC help people avoid the dangers of relapse in early recovery.”
TTC and Medications for Addiction Treatment
TTC also acknowledges the complexity of the word addiction. While it can carry stigma, it remains widely understood. TTC uses it deliberately and responsibly, prioritizing comprehension over euphemism—especially when clear communication can save lives. This is why we prefer “Substance Use Disorder”, in an attempt to avoid the stigma.
Defining MAT as Medications for Addiction Treatment is not a semantic preference. It is a clinical, ethical, and human decision that opens doors, reduces stigma, and expands access. Indeed, MAT Services support recovery when it matters most.
To learn more about Medications for Addiction Treatment, please contact us today.