Addiction Sciences

The experienced providers at UC Health Addiction Sciences utilize state-of-the-art evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders. We are staffed by a team of addiction researchers, clinicians, and educators – many of whom have been working together for more than 10 years. We know about best practices because we helped define them.

We understand that substance dependence is a chronic, treatable medical disease that affects both brain and behavior. By providing thorough assessment, an individualized treatment plan, and evidence-based treatment strategies delivered by our well-trained clinicians, the Addiction Sciences team offers help that is based in sound, scientific principles.

Opioid Treatment Program

Recent estimates of substance use disorders in the US indicate that 2.5 million Americans currently suffer from opioid dependence (source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2012). Methadone treatment has been used for over 30 years to safely and effectively treat opioid dependence. The experienced physicians, nurses, and counselors at the UC Health Addiction Sciences Opioid Treatment Program provide methadone services 6 days a week, combining both pharmacologic and behavioral treatment approaches to facilitate recovery.

Medically-Managed Outpatient Treatment Services

New knowledge and research discoveries have provided addiction treatment clinicians with a variety of effective medications for treating substance use disorders, particularly for opioids, alcohol, and tobacco. Our Outpatient Treatment Services utilize a medical approach to treatment, employing evidence-based treatment strategies that include use of these effective medications whenever possible.

Addiction Research

Researchers at UC Health Addiction Sciences are nationally recognized as experts in the field of designing, leading, and performing clinical trials for the development of new treatments and improvement of existing treatment strategies for substance use disorders. Part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network, our researchers have been conducting trials locally and nationally since 1997. Our patients are frequently invited to participate in local clinical trials, and are among the first in the world to benefit from new treatment strategies that are proven effective.

Education and Training

Featuring one of very few sites in the US to operate both an ACGME-accredited Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship and an ABAM-accredited Addiction Medicine Research Fellowship, our training programs also include resident, medical student, addiction counselor, and other professional training opportunities.