Substance Use Disorders Program

If you or someone you love experiences a substance use disorder, you probably recognize disruptions in your life and relationships. Without treatment, the disorder often creates serious problems at home, at work, at school, and with the law, and may potentially lead to a fatal outcome. No matter where you live in Oklahoma or across the region, you can get help for your situation at OU Health in Oklahoma City.

Get Expert Help for Substance Use Disorders

Take advantage of the CARES Program (Comprehensive Addiction Recovery, Education and Services) offered though the OU Health Physicians Psychiatry Clinic in Oklahoma City or through our telehealth option. At OU Health, you’ll work with a specialized multidisciplinary team using evidence-based treatment approaches that will enable you to achieve your personal substance use goals.

You also benefit from an individualized recovery plan designed for your specific needs, including effective strategies to set you on the path to a future free of inappropriate substance use.

Types of Addictions

Look to the compassionate medical experts in the OU Health CARES Program for personalized treatment of a wide range of addictions, including:

• Alcohol
• Hallucinogenic drugs such as PCP and LSD
• Inhalants
• Marijuana
• Medications to treat anxiety and insomnia
• Opioid pain medications including codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, heroin, kratoma and fentanyl
• Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine

Evidence-Based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

Your OU Health CARES team recognizes that biological, psychological and social factors – each with a range of severity – can influence the effects of substance use. Challenges with substance use also may happen together with mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety or trauma.

Combined Treatment Delivers Effective Results

The most effective outcome happens by treating substance use and mental health issues together. And because each person responds differently to these problems, recovery looks different for every person. That means you gain the most from the customized treatment you’ll find at OU Health.

Comprehensive Inpatient and Outpatient Care

As part of the comprehensive treatment for substance use disorders you receive through the OU Health CARES Program, your personal plan of integrated evidence-based care may involve a combination of services such as:

• Inpatient and outpatient detoxification
• Medication-assisted treatment for alcohol and opioids
• Psychiatric services
• Psychotherapeutic services – Group, individual, family, couples
• Specialty addiction treatment, including services for pregnant women, transplant recipients, and individuals with severe mental illness and/or trauma

Learn more about opioid use disorder and medications for treatment, such as naltrexone and buprehorphine.

Specialized Practices and Groups

You and your loved ones benefit from a wide range of CARES Program proven practices such as motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral strategies and mindfulness training. In addition, you and members of your support network may choose to participate in one or more groups, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Relapse Prevention – Skills-based approach helps identify ‘high-risk’ situations that may increase the likelihood of relapse to substance use; develops strategies for thinking and acting that increase confidence in your ability to handle challenging situations without alcohol or drugs
• Family Education and Support Group – Based on Community Reinforcement and Family Training model where family and friends collaborate with you in substance use treatment; focuses on specific actions to address a loved one’s substance use and enhance your relationship, as well as ways to improve relationships, psychosocial and physical functioning of the supporting family member or friend
• Health and Medications Group – Facilitated by OU Health physician psychiatrists; focuses on biomedical aspects of substance use disorders and mental health, including how substances impact the body, influence physical health and contribute to potential medical complications
• Seeking Safety Group – Safety-focused, skills-based program designed to address trauma and substance use without needing to recount details of trauma memories; helps you achieve safety in relationships, thinking, behavior and emotions; improves confidence in your ability to manage trauma memories without alcohol or drugs
• Women’s Group – Designed for individuals with substance abuse related to trauma, domestic violence (DV), depression, anxiety and/or other social stressors; fosters resilience and develops coping skills to help you manage and decrease symptoms related to emotions, stress, self-awareness, self-esteem, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and how to process difficult experiences

Support Services for You and Your Loved Ones

Through your personal substance use disorders treatment plan, you and your loved ones gain access to the OU Health Family Resource Center and the Family Education and Support Program. You’ll find practical support services such as:

• Appointment assistance to meet with financial advisors and hospital admissions representatives
• Assistance applying for childcare through DHS
• Community-based services and support referrals and references
• Parking validation
• Transportation assistance through SoonerRide

Clinical Trials

Ask your care team if you qualify to participate in clinical trials that may offer access to the most advanced medications and treatments available to care for substance use disorders.

Your Expert Substance Use Disorders Team

When you choose the CARES Program at OU Health, you receive discreet, comprehensive services from addiction medicine specialists, psychologists, and Oklahoma City’s only board-certified addiction medicine psychiatrist, as well as licensed social workers, and licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselors. You’ll find these OU Health specialists and other healthcare team members at one central location in Oklahoma City or through a telehealth/virtual/online format.

As needed, your team members also collaborate closely with a variety of specialists in transplant medicine, obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine (STAR prenatal services; high-risk pregnancy), infectious diseases, and heart care (interventional cardiology/valve repair or replacement), among many others.