The Coleman Institute Blog

The short answer is Yes!

First, let’s review what Kratom is and why it is of concern. Kratom is a plant derivative of Mitragyna speciose. It is an evergreen tree in the coffee plant family, which grows naturally in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

All week long our staff has had the pleasure of working with Juliette who came to us for a dual detox off alcohol and buprenorphine. She couldn’t have chosen a better support person, her Aunt Leila, who is tough, wise, and adores Jules.

When I opened the door to get her started on the last day of her 8-day accelerated opioid detox off Suboxone®, Juliette and her aunt were quietly listening to a song on her phone. Their eyes were moist. I sat down and Juliette began to fill in her story for me.

We had an incredibly busy season at the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine. We were challenged to keep staff and patients safe from COVID-19, navigate holiday schedules, and respond as best we can to the tsunami wave of people desperate for help from various addictive substances. If holidays and COVID-19 weren’t enough to add to people’s vulnerability to using opioids, benzos, and alcohol, the relative ease of finding these drugs has made a bad problem much, much worse.

These were not my words, but the words of a patient who completed a 5-day opioid detox with us a few weeks ago. A couple of years ago, his detox would probably have been 3 days—he believed he was using a gram or a gram and a half of heroin a day—but when fentanyl was discovered in his urine, the length of his outpatient detox was increased.

This is both for his comfort and his safety.

Addiction is a difficult disease. It can be isolating, lonely, and painful. Unlike many other diseases, addiction is often paired with secrets and lies. It is hard to picture a life without addiction when you don’t know what treatment solutions are out there.

Here are 3 addictions solutions that can turn your life around.