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Condition

Substance Use & Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in Waldorf, MD

Substance use disorder, including alcohol use disorder, is a treatable medical condition, not a moral failure or a lack of willpower. At Oasis of Hope we treat it with confidential, non-judgmental care in Waldorf, MD and by telepsychiatry across Maryland.

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Insurance plans we accept

Aetna
Cigna
Humana
Blue Cross Blue Shield
United Healthcare
UMR
Medicare
Medicaid
Priority Partners
Kaiser Permanente
Tricare
Wellpoint
GEHA
Overview

What Substance Use is , and what it is not.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a medical condition in which repeated use of alcohol or other drugs changes the brain's reward, motivation, and self-control circuits, changes that make stopping far harder than simply deciding to quit. Alcohol use disorder is the most common form, but the same underlying illness drives problems with opioids, stimulants, cannabis, and sedatives.

Clinicians describe substance use disorder on a spectrum from mild to severe, based on how many of eleven standard criteria are present over the past year, using more than you meant to, craving, failing to cut down, and continuing despite clear harm, among others. Two people can look very different and both have a real, diagnosable condition.

It is not a character flaw, and it rarely travels alone. Substance use disorder often sits alongside depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, or bipolar disorder, each feeding the other. Treating only the substance, or only the mental health condition, tends to fail; treating both together is what works.

Most importantly, substance use disorder responds to treatment. With an accurate assessment, medication where it helps, and therapy that addresses the reasons underneath, recovery is a realistic outcome, and reaching out is the first clinical step, not a last resort.

Signs & symptoms

What it can look like.

Substance use disorder is diagnosed on a spectrum, and only a comprehensive evaluation can confirm it, but these are the standard signs clinicians look for, whether the substance is alcohol or another drug.

  • Using more, or for longer, than you intended
  • Wanting to cut down or stop, and not being able to
  • Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from the substance
  • Strong cravings or urges to use
  • Use getting in the way of work, school, or responsibilities at home
  • Continuing to use despite the relationship problems it causes
  • Giving up activities you used to value in order to use
  • Using in situations where it is physically dangerous, such as driving
  • Continuing even though you know it is harming your health or mood
  • Needing more of the substance to get the same effect (tolerance)
  • Withdrawal symptoms when you stop, or using again to avoid them
How we help

How we treat Substance Use at Oasis of Hope.

Care begins with a comprehensive, confidential evaluation, a 60 to 90 minute conversation about your history, your substance use, your physical and mental health, and what you want to change. There is no judgment and no lecture. You leave with an honest assessment and a plan you understand and agree with.

From there, treatment usually combines medication-assisted treatment, where it helps, with regular therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relapse-prevention skills, and support for the depression, anxiety, or trauma that so often sits underneath. For the full treatment approach, see our addiction and substance abuse treatment service.

We treat substance use and alcohol use disorder for adults and older adolescents, in person at our Waldorf office or by secure telepsychiatry across Maryland. Recovery is not all-or-nothing; we meet you where you are and adjust the plan as you go.

Alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance use disorder and one of the most under-treated, partly because drinking is so normalized that a serious problem can hide in plain sight. You do not have to drink every day, or reach a dramatic rock bottom, to have it.

It is worth an honest look if you drink more than you planned, need more to feel the same effect, feel anxious or shaky when you have not had a drink, hide how much you drink, or keep promising to cut back without managing to.

  • Drinking more or longer than intended, or being unable to cut down
  • Needing more alcohol for the same effect, or blacking out
  • Shakiness, sweating, nausea, or anxiety when you have not had a drink
  • Drinking to steady your nerves or to start the day
  • Family, friends, work, or health being affected by your drinking

Withdrawal, and why medical guidance matters

Stopping some substances suddenly can be dangerous. Alcohol and benzodiazepine (sedative) withdrawal in particular can cause seizures and a life-threatening state called delirium tremens; opioid withdrawal is rarely fatal but can be severe. This is why quitting cold turkey on your own is not always safe.

Oasis of Hope is an outpatient practice. When your assessment suggests withdrawal could be risky, we help arrange the right level of medically supervised detox first, then provide the ongoing medication and therapy that keep recovery going. We coordinate your care, we do not leave you to figure out the next step alone.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

For many people, medication makes recovery far more achievable, and the evidence strongly supports it. Medication-assisted treatment pairs FDA-approved medication with counseling to reduce cravings, ease withdrawal, and lower the risk of relapse and overdose. Our prescribing is led by a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and informed by our board-certified pharmacist, so choices are careful and individualized.

  • For opioid use disorder: buprenorphine (Suboxone and related formulations)
  • For alcohol and opioid use disorder: naltrexone, including the monthly Vivitrol injection and oral Revia
  • For alcohol use disorder: acamprosate and other supportive medications that reduce cravings

Co-occurring mental health conditions (dual diagnosis)

Substance use and mental health conditions feed each other. Alcohol can be self-medication for anxiety or trauma; stimulants can mask depression or untreated ADHD; and active use can deepen every one of them. When both are present it is called a co-occurring disorder, or dual diagnosis.

Because Oasis of Hope provides psychiatry and therapy under one practice, we can treat both at once, the substance use and the depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, or bipolar disorder underneath it, instead of sending you to two teams that never talk to each other.

Substances we help with

We evaluate and treat problematic use across the full range of substances, including:

  • Alcohol
  • Opioids, prescription painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl
  • Stimulants, cocaine, methamphetamine, and misused prescription stimulants
  • Sedatives, benzodiazepines and sleep medications
  • Cannabis
  • Nicotine and tobacco
What to expect

Starting care is one phone call.

Your first visit is the evaluation. It is confidential, and it is a conversation, not an interrogation, we want an accurate picture so the plan actually fits your life. You can be seen in person in Waldorf or by secure telepsychiatry anywhere in Maryland.

We accept a wide range of Maryland plans, including Medicaid and Priority Partners, and we verify your coverage before the first visit. If cost is a worry, call 301-710-4218 and we will walk through what applies to you.

If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, including a possible overdose, call 911 now. For free, confidential, 24/7 support you can also call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. Oasis of Hope provides scheduled care and is not an emergency service.

More conditions we treat
FAQ

Substance Use questions

Common questions about substance use & alcohol use disorder and how we treat it at Oasis of Hope.

Still have a question? Reach out, we'll answer honestly.

Take the next step

Your first step is a single phone call.

Book a consultation online or call us directly. We answer Monday through Saturday, 8:30am–6pm.

Book a Consultation301-710-4218