Is Methadone Treatment Obsolete?

For opiate addicts, such as those addicted to heroin, opium or synthetic opiates such as hydrocodone, methadone has allowed them to cease use of the addictive substance without painful withdrawal symptoms. Once a person has been on methadone for awhile, treatment protocols vary. Some addiction treatment practitioners taper a person off methadone and some will keep a person on maintenance treatment, meaning that the person may be on methadone for the rest of their lives.

In recent years, some opiate addiction treatment practitioners are campaigning for a change in methadone treatment guidelines, stating that this indefinite maintenance with methadone is the best idea. One study from 2000 found that 80% of those who quit methadone treatment relapse within three years. Some practitioners may consider this a reason to keep opiate addicts on methadone indefinitely but some see a different logic.

“If a person’s only choice is addiction to an opiate or taking methadone prescribed by a doctor, then methadone might be a logical form of treatment,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “What many people don’t know is that they have the choice of the tolerable withdrawal process that is offered at Narconon Arrowhead.” At Narconon, the withdrawal phase is followed by a precise, proven method of detoxification that for many, results in greatly lowered or even eliminated cravings.

To read the rest of this article, please go to: Is Methadone Obsolete?. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.