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Master Center for Addiction Medicine continues to grow throughout Virginia as we expand our ability to treat those suffering from heroin addiction by providing personalized and comprehensive outpatient care in more locations. We are now offering our evidence-based approach to addiction treatment in Richmond, Hampton, Gloucester, and more in the coming months.

About Our Approach to Opiate Addiction

Opiate addiction, whether to heroin or prescription painkillers, is like being trapped in a nightmare. Without help, it is almost impossible to get free. Sadly, the necessary medical help a patient needs to get clean is hard to find and, for many, completely out of reach. The expanded Detox Program at Master Center for Addiction Medicine is designed to help those who need it, in as many places as possible, by connecting patients with the emotional and psychological tools they need to achieve lasting recovery.  

Our Difference 

What patients often notice first about all of our Master Center locations is the compassion of the professionals and staff, many of whom openly share their own recovery stories with patients in need of encouragement. Just as important is the medical expertise, vast experience, and innovative approach of our addiction medicine team. Dr. James Thompson, co-founder, designer, and chief medical officer at Master Center, spent years in community-based programs helping patients whom others were unwilling to accept and, in the process, developed effective, practical, and inexpensive approaches to drug and alcohol dependence. Patients at Master Center now benefit from those years of work through the Master Center Detox Program – safe, reliable, flexible, and effective treatment for addiction to opiates and every other class of addictive drug.   

Our Process

The Ambulatory Detox Program offered by Master Center is a 30-day experience that begins with a focus on physical comfort and patient safety. Our medical providers use the simplest and most effective medicines to treat and prevent opioid withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being drug-free. We primarily use buprenorphine to treat opiate withdrawal symptoms but are also skilled with non-buprenorphine approaches involving non-opioid medications and deep nerve stimulation technology when requested.  

Our patients experience minimal physical discomfort and usually, within a week or so, are free of illicit opiates and ready to begin life again.  

While the physical process of getting clean is critical, it’s the emotional, psychological, and spiritual journey that leads to lasting recovery. Our Detox program integrates education, counseling, and coaching as soon as a patient feels physically ready, often within the first week of treatment. The last 20 days of the Detox program are focused on the inner journey and introduce the patient to all the effective treatment tools: addiction education, recovery coaching, individual and group therapy, addiction psychiatry, practical skill-building, counseling, and accountability.  

At the end of our 30-day process, we invite each patient to continue in an ongoing program of treatment at Master Center – Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), or other multidisciplinary programs. Most patients do indeed choose to stay with us after detox.

Why Choose Master Center

Master Center stands out as an addiction treatment program that addresses the heart, mind, and body of the patient struggling with addiction. Each treatment plan draws on evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approaches but is individually tailored for individual needs. Our clinical and medical expertise is coupled with a sense of empathy that every patient feels when they enter our doors.  

Getting clean through a Medically Managed Withdrawal (Detox) program is a crucial first step in the quest to recover from opiate addiction. Do not go through this process alone or make the mistake of underestimating the power of addiction. Attempting to quit on your own is extremely difficult. Even more frustrating is that the physical withdrawal symptoms are the easy part compared to the challenge of staying away from opiates and avoiding the mistake of switching to a new drug. Detox is much safer, easier, and likely to succeed with help from an expert team, especially one that can help you with the rest of your journey.

Our Approach to Heroin Detox

Our heroin and opioid detox treatment is a combination of drugs that assist withdrawal management and professional counseling. Once a thorough assessment of a patient’s stability has been made, we start a Buprenorphine taper which eases withdrawal symptoms in minutes. 

Some patients require ongoing medication-assisted treatment through drugs like Naltrexone or Suboxone. These medications can be administered monthly for up to a year from initial intake.

Our path to overcoming an addiction to heroin puts peer coaching, education, and therapy at the center of a sober life. Addiction to drugs is a lifelong battle; once the physical effects of the drugs have worn off, the mental challenge of staying clean has only just begun. All of our Detox Program patients are invited to participate in a series of classes on addiction, recovery, and the keys to long-term success. Patients also have a chance to meet with a counselor and attend group sessions. Every patient will work with a recovery coach throughout their time with us.

Our Locations in Virginia

Find an addiction treatment center near you. Reach us at any of our convenient locations below and receive your initial assessment:

• Richmond
• Gloucester
• Hampton
• Colonial Heights (fall 2021)

Begin Your Recovery Process with Us Today

Starting the path from drug addiction to treatment and recovery takes courage. The act of reaching out and overcoming denial takes honesty and acceptance. Master Center offers 100% confidential substance use assessment and treatment in a caring and welcoming environment. Our compassionate team is ready to help you transition from addiction to recovery. Same-day appointments are available and most insurance plans are accepted. Recovery begins here.