I know what people mean when they say Suboxone is “controversial.”

But I think a better way to describe it would be to say that medication-assisted treatment with buprenorphine (Suboxone) is stigmatized by people who have a philosophical opinion about medication-assisted treatment.

To me, it’s not the treatment that is controversial.

What stirs controversy is the refusal of some in the recovery community to accept scientific fact, or to support recovery choices that have been effective for many people.

It’s funny, you don’t hear Suboxone patients telling people in 12 Step programs that they “aren’t in recovery.”

Why is medication-assisted treatment so threatening to people in 12 Step programs?

There is no controversy about the medication itself, or the fact that it is effective for many people. It is well studied and fully supported by US government addiction experts.

This post is based on a comment I wrote at the parent blog A Mom’s Serious Blunder.  Read the original post I was responding to here.