Methadone: A Program In Shambles
Author: Will Penn

Opiate addiction is one of the hardest addictions to overcome.
The physical withdrawals can be so intense that many fail or
find themselves rushing to the methadone clinic or signing up
for the new wonder drug, Subaxone.  However, treating this type
of addiction with these so-called "withdrawal" drugs doesn't
make sense.  Haven't we learned through the failed methadone
programs that this simply does not work?

 Methadone has long been the standard medical treatment for
those addicted to heroin. In recent years, methadone has
increasingly become accepted in the medical community to treat
those with chronic pain.  However, the consequences of this have
been devastating.  Because methadone is more widely available in
prescription form and not just in a clinic setting, not
surprisingly, methadone abuse has skyrocketed.  A growing number
of people are overdosing on methadone and even more frightening,
when combined with other prescription medication, people are
dying.  The FDA released a public health advisory on November
29th, 2006 warning that "methadone used for pain control could
result in death and other life-threatening changes in breathing
and heart-rate".1 This was widely seen by the much publicized
deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and her son.  Both died of overdoses
resulting from a combination of prescription medications,
including methadone.

In addition to the alarming death rates associated with
methadone overdose, former heroin addicts who had been on a
methadone program report that the withdrawal symptoms from
methadone are more intense than withdrawing from heroin.  One
former addict said, "I've been on both ends of withdrawals,
heroin and methadone, every patient of methadone will always
tell you the same as I do: I can kick heroin anytime, but
methadone that is something else.  In 15 years of heroin
addiction, I've kicked 3 times, `cold-turkey'. In 10 years on
methadone, I've never kicked methadone."

Methadone withdrawal is so severe that programs who take a
holistic approach to dealing with addiction are unable to accept
those people who have high levels of methadone in their system.
They must first be weaned off until their bodies have adjusted
to low doses of the drug to a point where they can safely stop
taking methadone all together.

 Using drugs as a method of drug rehabilitation only creates
additional problems for the addict as seen through the methadone
debacle. Now, Subaxone is being pushed as the alternative to
methadone, and yet even its own website claims that Subaxone
"has the potential for abuse and [can] produce dependence of the
opioid type."

Shouldn't the solution be based on living a life without the
need for ANY type of drug.  Hasn't it been shown that the
consequences to using additional drugs as a treatment method
only transfers the addiction from one drug to another?

There are other ways.  There are programs that offer a
holistic, natural approach to combating opiate addiction.
Withdrawal symptoms from opiates can be severe; however, the
alternatives, such as Methadone and Subaxone, are only a quick
fix and don't offer a complete solution to the problems an
addict faces.  Narconon Vista  Bay can help.  Through a closely
supervised withdrawal program and a breakthrough detoxification
process, an opiate addict can free themselves of all drugs.

Isn't this the goal?  Drug-rehab means rehabilitating without
drugs.  When more and more addicts seek help from methadone, the
drug that was supposed to treat their addiction, it's easy to
see that the future of Subaxone has the potential to create
dangerous consequences for those already suffering from drug
addiction.


About The Author: Written by Will Penn, Narconon Vista Bay -
http://DrugRehab.net. For more information on the Narconon Vista
Bay program, visit their website at http://www.drugrehab.net or
call toll free (800) 556-8885. If you plan to reproduce this
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