ENSO Addiction Treatment Philosophy

There are many paths to Recovery from addiction and many paths in Recovery and that the definition of what constitutes Recovery is both influenced and constrained by ideologies rooted in moralism that have evolved over the last two hundred years. We reject the conventional thinking and challenge you to do the same.

For the past five decades, the addiction treatment philosophy has centered around abstinence and most providers therefore have incorporated the 12 step – abstinence recovery model into their treatment services with mixed results. Over the past decade, the high recidivism rate for persons dependent on opioids has forced treatment providers to reevaluate their methods and realize that one size does not fit all.  For many years, medication assisted treatment (recovery) was shunned by the purists and categorized as harm reduction or opioid substitution treatment. Twelve step recovery groups insisted that if you were not abstinent from all mind altering substances then you were not in recovery. Opioid addiction is similar to diabetes. There is Type 1 and type 2. Type 1 requires medication.

Medication assisted recovery has been the gold standard for treating the opioid dependent individual for over 55 years and is, in fact, the only type of treatment for opioid dependence that can claim to be “evidence based”.

• We believe that addiction is a complex, multidimensional  psychobiosocial phenomena and that we must understand the underlying pain to understand the addicted individual.
• We believe the trauma that propels one into addiction must be explored, exposed and addressed to achieve recovery.
• We believe an empty sense of hopelessness, an alienation from ones self and ones world permeates the souls of those suffering from addiction and the addiction is merely a biological byproduct of their despair.
• We believe that recovery has many faces and that medication assisted recovery is one.
• We believe an individual has the right to define their own recovery.
• We believe that ones choices and ones self acceptance determine their happiness.