Can you be addicted to something your doctor prescribed?

Yes, and it's one of the most common paths into addiction. Physical dependence on opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants can develop with perfectly compliant use. It becomes a use disorder when doses escalate, use continues despite harm, or stopping feels impossible. None of that is a moral failing; it's a known pharmacological risk.

Will you tell my doctor I'm in treatment?

Only with your written consent, and often that's a good idea, because coordinated care works better. But addiction treatment records are protected by federal 42 CFR Part 2 rules, beyond HIPAA. Nothing is shared with any prescriber, employer, or family member unless you authorize it.

What if I still need pain or anxiety treatment?

Then you get it, done safely. Recovery doesn't mean white-knuckling chronic pain or panic attacks untreated. Our medical team manages non-opioid pain strategies, non-benzo anxiety treatments, and non-stimulant ADHD options, alongside therapy that reduces how much medication you need at all.

I buy pills but only from people I know. Is that really dangerous?

Yes. The DEA has seized massive quantities of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that are visually identical to real Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall, and they move through normal social networks, not just street dealers. If a pill didn't come from your own pharmacy bottle, you can't know what's in it.

Do I need detox first?

It depends on what you're taking. Opioid dependence often transitions straight onto buprenorphine in outpatient care. Benzodiazepines need a gradual taper, sometimes starting in a medical detox. Alcohol plus pills raises the stakes. A short confidential assessment answers this safely, call us before stopping anything.

Does MaineCare cover prescription drug addiction treatment?

Yes, in most cases. MaineCare and nearly all commercial plans cover MAT, PHP, IOP, and outpatient therapy. We verify your benefits for free, in minutes, with no obligation.

Portland Head Light in Maine, representing hope in prescription drug addiction recovery

Prescription Drug Addiction · Biddeford & Portland, Maine

It came from a doctor. That doesn't mean it's safe anymore.

Outpatient prescription drug addiction treatment in Biddeford, twenty minutes from Portland, for painkillers, benzodiazepines, sleep medications, and ADHD stimulants that stopped being medicine and started being a need. Judgment-free, medically sound, covered by MaineCare and most commercial plans.

855-449-7674

No waitlist · MaineCare accepted · Answered 24/7

What the research says

The most stigmatized addiction starts in a medicine cabinet

Every figure below links to the federal or peer-reviewed source it comes from. Research describes averages across large groups, not a promise about any one person's outcome.

14+ million

Over 14 million Americans misused prescription psychotherapeutic drugs in the past year, pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. Most got them from a doctor, a friend, or a family member's cabinet.

Source: SAMHSA, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2023)

Often starts legitimate

Most people who develop prescription drug addiction began with a valid prescription, after surgery, an injury, anxiety, or ADHD. Dependence is a treatment outcome, not a character flaw.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Medication saves lives

For prescription opioid addiction, buprenorphine and methadone cut the risk of fatal overdose by roughly half and double the odds of staying in treatment.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Counterfeit pills are deadly

Pills bought outside a pharmacy increasingly contain fentanyl, fake Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall that look identical to the real thing. One counterfeit pill can be fatal.

Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Medically reviewed

Benjamin Crocker, MD

Psychiatrist · Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine · MD, The Ohio State University · Residency & fellowship training at the University of Michigan and LAC+USC Medical Center

Last reviewed August 2026. Read our editorial standards & clinical review process

Accredited & Licensed

LegitScript Certified
Joint Commission Accredited
Maine DHHS Licensed
Psychology Today Verified

When the script becomes the problem

Prescription dependence hides well , the signs

Prescription drug addiction is the easiest to rationalize, it came from a doctor, after all. But the line between taking medication and needing it gets crossed quietly, and the people crossing it are often the last to know.

Running out early, every month, and planning your month around the refill date.
Taking pills for the feeling, calm, energy, escape, not the condition.
Supplementing your prescription from friends, family cabinets, or online sources.
Withdrawal between doses: sick, anxious, sleepless, or in rebound pain.
Hiding your use from your doctor, pharmacist, or family.
A growing fear of what happens if the prescription stops.

One pill can kill: pills bought anywhere outside a pharmacy, even from people you know, may be counterfeit and contain fentanyl. If any pill you take didn't come from your own prescription, carry naloxone.

Counseling session for prescription drug addiction treatment in Maine

Starting treatment in Portland?

We'll check your benefits free in minutes, MaineCare and most major plans accepted.

Call 855-449-7674

Our program

Three levels of care, one clinical team

PHP

Partial hospitalization

Five days a week of structure and medical oversight after detox or when use has become daily and unmanageable, with a path home every night.

Learn about PHP

IOP

Intensive outpatient

Three hours a day in day or evening tracks, where most people stabilize on medication or a taper while life keeps moving.

Learn about IOP

Outpatient

Weekly therapy and ongoing medication management for the long rebuild, pain, anxiety, sleep, and focus treated the right way this time.

Learn about OP

How we treat prescription drug addiction

MAT for painkiller dependence

We coordinate with trusted local prescribers for Suboxone while you do therapy here, stopping withdrawal and cravings from oxycodone, hydrocodone, and other opioids without the cycle.

Safe benzo taper support

Gradual, physician-guided taper plans for Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, and Valium, never abrupt, never alone, with therapy for the anxiety underneath.

Treating the original condition

Chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, and ADHD don't disappear when the pills do. Our dual diagnosis team treats them with approaches that don't create the next dependence.

Prescriber coordination

With your consent, we work with your doctors so everyone's plan points the same direction, no mixed messages, no gaps to fall through.

Group therapy

The shame of 'it was prescribed' addiction is heavy. Sitting with people who took the same path from medicine to dependence lifts it.

Family therapy

Families often enabled the pills out of love, or policed them out of fear. We help yours become part of the solution.

Our Spaces

Beautiful spaces built for comfort, community, and healing

Where you recover matters. Every room at Portland Treatment was designed to feel calm, open, and human, so you can focus on the work of getting well.

A Welcoming Front Door
The first room you walk into sets the tone. Warm light, real people, and a team that knows your name before you sit down.

Real People at the Front Desk
A friendly face, a calm lobby, and a team ready to help you take the first step without judgment.

Space to Reconnect
Our yoga therapy space is prepared with mats, bolsters, blocks, and room to practice mindful movement at your own pace.

Room to Breathe
Open, bright waiting areas designed to feel like a place you'd actually want to spend time, not a clinic hallway.

One-on-One Support
Private offices where honest conversations happen between clients and clinicians, safe, confidential, and focused on you.

Spaces Made for Connection
Comfortable group lounges where honest conversation happens and community starts to take hold.

Recovery Beyond the Session
Our community room hosts everything from movie nights to ping-pong tournaments, because healing needs joy, too.

Family support during prescription drug addiction treatment near Portland, Maine

Prescription drug treatment near you

No judgment here. Half of Maine knows this story.

Mill's injury. Back surgery. The anxiety that came with the layoffs. Southern Maine knows exactly how a legitimate prescription becomes a dependence, and the shame around it keeps people suffering years longer than they need to. Our program exists to end that, quietly and effectively.

We're in Biddeford, five minutes from Saco, twenty from downtown Portland, and an easy drive from Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, South Portland, Westbrook, Kennebunk, and Sanford. Everything is confidential under federal 42 CFR Part 2 protections, your employer and your doctors hear nothing without your written consent.

Call 855-449-7674 Areas we serve

Insurance

In-network with almost every plan.

Portland Treatment is in-network with Anthem, UMR/UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point, TRICARE and MaineCare, Cigna is our only out-of-network plan. In-network means contracted rates, lower coinsurance and no balance bill. We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation.

Free, confidential, no obligation

Or read the coverage guide for your plan, Anthem rehab coverage, Cigna rehab coverage, MaineCare rehab coverage and other accepted insurance plans.

Prescription drug treatment questions

Can you be addicted to something your doctor prescribed?: Yes, and it's one of the most common paths into addiction. Physical dependence on opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants can develop with perfectly compliant use. It becomes a use disorder when doses escalate, use continues despite harm, or stopping feels impossible. None of that is a moral failing; it's a known pharmacological risk.
Will you tell my doctor I'm in treatment?: Only with your written consent, and often that's a good idea, because coordinated care works better. But addiction treatment records are protected by federal 42 CFR Part 2 rules, beyond HIPAA. Nothing is shared with any prescriber, employer, or family member unless you authorize it.
What if I still need pain or anxiety treatment?: Then you get it, done safely. Recovery doesn't mean white-knuckling chronic pain or panic attacks untreated. Our medical team manages non-opioid pain strategies, non-benzo anxiety treatments, and non-stimulant ADHD options, alongside therapy that reduces how much medication you need at all.
I buy pills but only from people I know. Is that really dangerous?: Yes. The DEA has seized massive quantities of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that are visually identical to real Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall, and they move through normal social networks, not just street dealers. If a pill didn't come from your own pharmacy bottle, you can't know what's in it.
Do I need detox first?: It depends on what you're taking. Opioid dependence often transitions straight onto buprenorphine in outpatient care. Benzodiazepines need a gradual taper, sometimes starting in a medical detox. Alcohol plus pills raises the stakes. A short confidential assessment answers this safely, call us before stopping anything.
Does MaineCare cover prescription drug addiction treatment?: Yes, in most cases. MaineCare and nearly all commercial plans cover MAT, PHP, IOP, and outpatient therapy. We verify your benefits for free, in minutes, with no obligation.

Sources & references

This page is educational and is not medical advice. Research findings describe group averages; individual results vary. Never stop opioids, benzodiazepines, or other medications abruptly without medical guidance. Pills obtained outside a pharmacy may contain fentanyl, carry naloxone. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or dial 911 for an emergency.

Keep exploring

Related care at Portland Treatment

Other conditions we treat

Alcohol rehab in Biddeford and Portland
Outpatient alcohol treatment with detox coordination.
Opioid addiction treatment
Therapy, groups and MAT coordination for opioid use.
Fentanyl rehab in Maine
What fentanyl and xylazine change about treatment here.
Benzodiazepine addiction treatment
Safe tapers, medical oversight and outpatient support.

Programs that treat it

Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in Biddeford
Our most structured day treatment, five days a week, home each night.
Intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Southern Maine
Nine-plus clinical hours a week with day and evening tracks.
Outpatient program (OP) for ongoing recovery
One to two sessions a week that fit around work and family.
MAT coordination with local prescribers
We partner with local Suboxone, methadone and Vivitrol prescribers.

Serving Southern Maine

Addiction treatment for Portland, Maine
A 20-minute drive down I-95 from the Portland peninsula.
Addiction treatment in Biddeford, Maine
Our home clinic, in the mill district off Route 111.
Addiction treatment for Saco, Maine
Minutes across the river from our Biddeford clinic.
All Southern Maine areas we serve
Every city and town within driving distance of Biddeford.

Nobody plans this. Everybody deserves a way out.
Confidential help starts here.