Frequently Asked Questions

MAT is not a shortcut or a substitute for "real" recovery. It is the gold standard of care, endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the CDC, the FDA, and the World Health Organization. A 2021 meta-analysis of 370,000+ participants found that buprenorphine reduces overdose mortality by 73–80% compared to no treatment. Methadone maintenance reduces illicit opioid use by 60% and criminal activity by 50%.

A separate 2021 meta-analysis across 370,000+ participants found that buprenorphine and methadone combined reduced all-cause mortality by 50–70% during treatment. These aren't hopeful estimates — they are replicated findings across decades of peer-reviewed research.

SAMHSA — the federal authority on substance abuse — classifies MAT as the gold standard for opioid use disorder treatment. Despite that, fewer than 1 in 10 Americans with OUD receives evidence-based treatment. The treatment works. The access doesn't.

The stigma around MAT — that it's "trading one addiction for another" — is clinically false. Physical dependence and addiction are not the same thing. MAT stabilizes brain chemistry, reduces cravings, and allows people to rebuild the cognitive and social infrastructure of a life in recovery. Long-term outcomes are dramatically better than abstinence-only approaches.

Ohio loses more than 5,000 people a year to overdose. The evidence shows that accessible MAT — not more willpower, not more moral judgment — is what changes that number. Live Now Recovery exists to make access as frictionless as possible.