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Sponsored| Name | Address | City |
|---|---|---|
| BHG Bessemer Treatment Center | 4204 Edmonton Drive | Bessemer |
| Addiction Research Foundation | 4126 Autumn Lane | Birmingham |
| Birmingham Metro Treatment Center | 151 Industrial Drive | Birmingham |
| Walker Recovery Center | 2195 N Airport Rd | Jasper |
| BHG Tuscaloosa Treatment Center | 1001 Mimosa Park Rd | Tuscaloosa |
| Tri County Treatment Center | 5605 Clifford Circle | Birmingham |
| Shelby County Treatment Center | 750 Highway 31 South | Saginaw-Alabaster |
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Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Bessemer
Bessemer sits in Jefferson County, in the Birmingham metro area, where treatment for opioid use disorder is available through both opioid treatment programs and office-based prescribers. Alabama works with three medications, and they reach people differently.
Methadone is available through a clinic, buprenorphine through a clinic or a doctor’s office, and naltrexone through most any licensed prescriber. This is also one of the most active parts of the state for overdose prevention, which matters if you or someone you love is at risk.
The providers listed on this page are where your care can begin, and the site helpline can walk you through the first step.
Which Medication, and Where You Get It
Treating opioid use disorder means medication, an approach also called medication-assisted treatment (MAT), paired with support. Methadone is a full opioid agonist that steadies withdrawal and cravings, and for opioid use disorder it is dispensed only through a licensed opioid treatment program, not a retail pharmacy, so early treatment involves scheduled clinic visits.
Buprenorphine, which includes Suboxone and the long-acting Sublocade injection, partly activates the same receptors with a ceiling that lowers overdose risk, and since 2023 any clinician with a standard DEA registration can prescribe it in an office and send it to a pharmacy.
Naltrexone, including the monthly Vivitrol injection, blocks opioids instead and can be prescribed by any licensed provider once a person has been off opioids long enough to start safely.
If you are not sure which route fits, our look at methadone compared with Suboxone lays out the tradeoffs. It also helps to understand how an opioid treatment program works day to day.
Starting Treatment When Fentanyl Is in the Supply
Most of the illicit opioid supply in Jefferson County is fentanyl, which shapes how you can begin treatment. The first visit is an assessment of your history, your health, and your goals, and a provider then recommends a medication.
Bring a photo ID, insurance or Medicaid details if you have them, and a list of your medications. Some programs can begin the same day or the same week, so ask about timing when you call.
Because fentanyl lingers in the body, starting buprenorphine too soon can trigger precipitated withdrawal, a sudden and severe reaction, so a clinician times the first dose with care. Our guide to beginning treatment after fentanyl use explains what to expect.
Take-Home Doses, Telehealth, and Transfers
Federal rules updated in 2024 give people who are stable in treatment more flexibility. Under SAMHSA’s revision of 42 CFR Part 8, opioid treatment programs can provide take-home methadone up to a 28-day supply for stable patients. You can start treatment by telehealth, and mobile medication units are permitted.
Buprenorphine can be started through telehealth under rules current through 2026, in some cases by phone, though those rules are still being finalized, so confirm what applies with a provider.
Methadone for opioid use disorder is still dispensed through an opioid treatment program, whether you are new or transferring from another clinic. If you are moving your care, keeping your methadone dose steady protects the progress you have made.
Paying for Treatment
Cost is often the first question. Alabama Medicaid covers all three medications for opioid use disorder and coordinates care through the Alabama Coordinated Health Network, which connects members with nurses and social workers.
Alabama has not expanded Medicaid, so some adults will not qualify; if that is your situation, ask about self-pay and sliding-scale fees, and note that programs funded by the Alabama Department of Mental Health set fees on a sliding scale based on income, which can mean low-cost or no-cost care.
Private insurance and Medicare also help. If you are pregnant, a 2025 state law created Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnancy, which can start temporary Medicaid maternity coverage right away while a full application is processed (Alabama Medicaid Agency, 2025).
Overdose Prevention and Free Naloxone in Jefferson County
Jefferson County runs one of the strongest overdose-response efforts in Alabama, and it appears to be working. Overdose deaths in the county fell to 318 in 2024, the first decline since 2018, after the Jefferson County Department of Health began collecting real-time overdose data with hospitals, emergency services, and the county coroner.
The health department mails free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to anyone in Alabama who completes a short online training, and it places supplies in dispensing boxes around the community. Statewide, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in 61 percent of the 1,211 overdose deaths Alabama recorded in 2024.
Alabama’s Good Samaritan law, passed in 2015, protects people who give naloxone in good faith. Keep a dose nearby if you or someone close to you uses opioids, and treat a return to use as a manageable part of recovery rather than a failure.
Learning how to respond to an overdose takes only a few minutes. These numbers reflect real losses in this community, and they also show that treatment and prevention work; for the wider picture, see our overview of Alabama’s opioid epidemic.
Pregnancy, Reentry, and Other Situations
Some situations change how treatment starts. For people who are pregnant, medication for opioid use disorder is the recommended standard of care; stopping suddenly can be riskier to a pregnancy than staying in treatment, and methadone and buprenorphine are both used, with a care team managing neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) if it occurs.
Pregnant women get priority admission at certified Alabama programs with no admission fee, and our guidance on medication treatment while pregnant covers what to expect. For people leaving the Jefferson County jail or state prison, the weeks right after release carry a high overdose risk.
Alabama has added substance use services in more than a dozen correctional facilities to keep treatment going through reentry. Starting or restarting medication before or right after release is the protective step.
Questions People in Bessemer Ask
Where is methadone dispensed?
For opioid use disorder, only at a licensed opioid treatment program, not a pharmacy. Buprenorphine and naltrexone are different: a doctor can prescribe them for you to fill at a pharmacy, including from an office-based provider in the Birmingham area.
Overdoses are dropping in Jefferson County. Is treatment still worth it?
Yes, the decline is tied to more treatment and wider naloxone access, not to less risk from the drug supply, which is still mostly fentanyl. Getting into medication treatment is the most reliable way to lower your own risk.
Can I start the same week?
Often, yes, you can start the same week. This is especially true for buprenorphine, which offices and clinics can sometimes begin quickly, including by telehealth through 2026. Methadone starts at an opioid treatment program. Ask each provider about timing when you call.
What does treatment cost?
Alabama Medicaid covers all three medications, Department of Mental Health programs use income-based sliding fees, and private insurance and Medicare help. For a fuller rundown, our answers to common treatment questions are a good place to look.
About this page
Last reviewed August 2026.
Sources:
- CDC drug overdose data for Alabama (2024) https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-drug-overdose-deaths-happen-every-year-in-the-us/state/alabama/
- Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, Jefferson County overdose deaths https://parcalabama.org/data-informed-decision-making-helps-drive-down-overdose-deaths-in-2024/
- SAMHSA, opioid treatment programs and 42 CFR Part 8 (2024) https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/treatment/opioid-treatment-program
- Alabama Department of Public Health, naloxone standing order https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/pharmacy/opioid-reversal.html
- Alabama Medicaid Agency, Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnancy https://medicaid.alabama.gov/content/4.0_Programs/4.7_PEP.aspx
- Alabama Department of Mental Health, substance use treatment services https://mh.alabama.gov/division-of-mental-health-substance-abuse-services/substance-abuse-treatment-services/
Methadone Centers is an informational directory and education resource, not a treatment provider. Nothing here is medical advice; decisions about medication and treatment should be made with a licensed clinician.
The site helpline is answered by a sponsor. Methadone Centers does not receive a commission or fee based on which provider a caller chooses, and there is no obligation to enter treatment. Calls to a general helpline may be routed to SAMHSA or a verified treatment provider.
Last Updated: August 26, 2026