Program
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication
Buprenorphine — Suboxone
Provider
Casey Hester, PMHNP-BC
Confidentiality
42 CFR Part 2 protected
Recovery is a relationship,
not a prescription pad.
Suboxone combined with real psychiatric care — for the anxiety, depression, and trauma that often sit underneath. Same provider, every visit. Private, respectful, judgment-free.
Suboxone fixes the brain-chemistry piece — the cravings, the withdrawal, the static in your head. What it doesn't fix is the anxiety, the depression, the trauma, or the life stress that was there before you started using. That's the other half. It takes conversation, follow-up, sometimes different medication, sometimes therapy — and it takes time with a provider who knows you.
At Life Balance you'll see Casey Hester, PMHNP-BC, every visit. Not a rotating cast. Not a fifteen-minute refill slot. A real clinical relationship — the kind that makes recovery actually hold.
One — the science
What MAT actually does — in plain language.
The medications used in MAT — usually buprenorphine, in the form of Suboxone — occupy the same brain receptors that opioids bind to, but in a way that quiets cravings and blocks withdrawal without producing the euphoria that drives addictive use.
In practice: your brain chemistry gets put back on level ground. The "when am I getting more" loop turns off. Sleep comes back, appetite comes back, concentration comes back. Once you're stable, we can actually work on the pieces underneath — the anxiety, the depression, the trauma, the life pressure — that kept the cycle running in the first place.
This is not a fringe idea. Decades of research, and every major medical body that studies it, name MAT the single most effective treatment for opioid use disorder. It cuts overdose death by more than half. It roughly doubles long-term recovery rates compared to abstinence-only approaches.
Two — your options
The three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder.
Three are approved. Each works differently. We prescribe buprenorphine-based treatment here — which covers the majority of patients — but you should understand all three.
Buprenorphine — Suboxone
What we prescribe · Partial opioid agonist
Binds strongly to opioid receptors but only partially activates them. Cravings stop, withdrawal stops, and there's a built-in ceiling — higher doses don't produce euphoria, which makes it much harder to misuse than full opioids. Taken daily as a film under the tongue. Safe long-term. Works for most patients.
Read more about Suboxone treatmentNaltrexone — Vivitrol
Opioid antagonist · Monthly injection
Blocks opioids from working at all. It does not quiet cravings the way buprenorphine does — it makes using ineffective. The main barrier is that you have to be fully detoxed before starting, usually seven to fourteen days opioid-free. Best for patients who have already made it through withdrawal and want protection against relapse.
Methadone
Full opioid agonist · Clinic-based only
Highly effective, but only available through federally licensed opioid treatment programs — not regular medical offices. Daily in-person dosing for months before any take-home privileges. When methadone is the right fit, it works. We'll help coordinate a referral if that's the path.
Three — the arc
A realistic arc of the first year.
Everyone's path is different, but this is what most of our patients actually live through. No sales pitch, no "miracle at four weeks." Just the real pattern.
Week one
Withdrawal stops. Sleep comes back. Cravings drop — not to zero, but noticeably. Some mild side effects as the body adjusts: headaches, constipation, maybe some sweating. You'll feel strange for a few days. It passes.
Weeks two through four
Dose is dialed in. You start to feel like a person again. Energy returns. You notice how exhausting the cycle was. This is when we start digging into what's underneath — mood, sleep, trauma, relationships — because you finally have the bandwidth to do it.
Months two and three
Visits move to every other week. Many patients are back at work full time, repairing relationships, catching up on life. Co-occurring anxiety or depression often gets addressed here with medication or a therapist referral. Foundation-building phase.
Months four through twelve
Monthly visits. Relapse risk drops the longer you stay engaged. This is when recovery stops feeling like a fight and starts feeling like a routine.
Year two and beyond
Some patients begin a slow, structured taper. Others stay on maintenance indefinitely, which is completely legitimate. Like insulin for diabetes or a statin for cholesterol, staying on a medication that keeps you well is not a failure. We make this decision together — not on an arbitrary clock.
Four — the other half
Medication is half the work. Here's the other half.
Suboxone fixes the chemistry. It does not fix the reasons you started using in the first place. That takes counseling, behavioral support, and sometimes separate medication for co-occurring conditions. All of that happens here or through providers we trust.
In-house psychiatric care.
Anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD — we treat the mental-health side of recovery in the same visit as your MAT medication. No separate referral, no second copay, no retelling your story to someone new.
Counseling referrals.
We have working relationships with local therapists who specialize in addiction and co-occurring trauma. We'll get you to someone good — not a random name off a list.
Peer support.
SMART Recovery, Narcotics Anonymous, MAT-friendly recovery meetings in and around Oxford — there are more options than most people realize. We'll point you to the ones that fit your style.
Life coordination.
Work letters. Return-to-work planning. Family conversations. Probation paperwork. Recovery touches real life, and we help you navigate the parts that exist outside the exam room.
Five — the real thing
Life on MAT. What actually becomes normal.
You can work. You can drive. You can be present with your kids. You can travel — anywhere in the country without restriction, internationally with a note from your provider. You can exercise, date, attend family events, have surgery (we coordinate with surgeons on pain management), have a baby, adopt, foster.
The only things you can't do are drink heavily, mix with benzodiazepines without supervision, or relapse safely. Everything else is just your life.
Six — your privacy
What stays between you and this office, stays there.
Substance use treatment is protected by a specific federal rule called 42 CFR Part 2 — stricter than standard HIPAA. Employers, family members, law enforcement, insurance actuaries — none of them get access to your records without your written consent. Period.
Recovery is a personal thing, and we treat it that way. The only person in the room who needs to know what happened last weekend is your provider — not your employer, not your ex, not the insurance company. You decide what leaves this building.
If what you really want to know about is the Suboxone piece specifically — dose, timing, induction day — start here.
Suboxone treatment, in detailQuestions people ask
Common questions about our MAT program
- MAT combines FDA-approved medication — usually buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone — with psychiatric care and counseling to treat opioid use disorder. The medication quiets cravings and withdrawal so the rest of recovery can actually happen.
- Primarily buprenorphine as Suboxone (daily dissolvable film). For alcohol use disorder we also prescribe naltrexone or acamprosate when indicated.
- As long as it works for you. Some patients taper off after a year, many stay engaged long-term. Research consistently shows longer engagement reduces relapse risk. The timeline is decided between you and Casey.
- Yes — protected by 42 CFR Part 2, stricter than HIPAA. Employers, family, law enforcement, and insurance actuaries cannot access your records without your written consent.
- Yes. Casey treats the psychiatric conditions that often underlie substance use — anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma — in the same visit. For dedicated therapy, we coordinate counseling referrals.
- Most plans cover generic buprenorphine/naloxone and MAT visits at your specialist copay. Self-pay pricing is available.
Before your first visit
Complete your intake form ahead of time.
Our MAT intake covers your history, current medications, the program expectations, and the buprenorphine consent — everything Casey needs to make your first visit count. Print it, fill it out, and bring it with you. If you'd rather complete it in the office, just arrive a few minutes early.
Transferring from another Suboxone clinic? Bring the completed form along with the name of your previous provider and your current dose — we'll take care of the rest.
MAT Intake Form (PDF)Completed forms can also be faxed to 662.238.4122 before your appointment.
When you're ready, pick up the phone.
Start with a new client intake. No lecture, no script — just a conversation about whether we're a fit.
Or call (662) 640-4004 · Mon – Thu 8 to 5, Fri 8 to noon