Methadone may be touted as the only solution to heroin addiction, but that theory is flawed. The truth is, methadone treatment leads to methadone addiction, and for most people, that means a lifetime of maintenance.
Full and complete heroin rehab, however—that is, treatment that truly rehabilitates the addict—is a different story. It means full recovery, full sobriety, full freedom. Methadone treatment may seem less terrifying, but for most people, hope of a truly drug-free life is what actually takes the fear out of recovery.
Methadone
Just like heroin replaced morphine addiction, methadone became the cure for opioid dependence after World War II and was claimed to have little risk of addiction. Initially used to treat morphine addiction, it became the go-to for heroin addiction when the infamous opioid took off as a recreational drug. The 1960’s brought a tsunami of heroin abuse, leading to the first methadone clinics in the latter part of the decade.
The lie about methadone is that it is non-addictive. In truth, heroin addicts claim to have a harder time quitting methadone than they had with heroin. Many can’t quit, which leads to a lifetime of costly maintenance.
Methadone treatment has quickly lost its appeal. Many heroin addicts would rather battle dope than get hooked on a lifetime of medical “treatment.”
Suboxone
An alternative treatment that is not as widespread as methadone is Suboxone, another opioid drug that also contains a substance to reverse the effects of narcotics. It does, however, have a number of unpleasant side effects and often makes the user very ill.
Suboxone is also addictive.
Solutions
What, then, is the solution to opioid addiction? It is clear that replacement drugs do not work. They lead to a different form of addiction, and a lifetime of maintenance. Relapse is common.
Despite the apathetic belief that replacement drugs are the only solution to opioid addiction, there are actually a number of rehabilitation clinics that have tremendous success with drug-free treatment. With the right program, an addict can be eased off the drug and given the freedom to live the rest of his life without the crutch of drugs.
One of the reasons that relapse is so common, especially with opioids, is that they embed themselves in the fatty tissue of the body, becoming latent substances just waiting to resurface. Many former addicts find themselves experiencing cravings long after quitting because these substances become dislodged and end up in their bloodstream.
With the right detox program, these toxins become fully flushed from the fatty tissue, eradicating the potential for relapse.
Another important factor in opioid treatment is that of nutrition. Drugs burn a lot of vitamins and minerals, leaving the addict depleted and nutrient-deficient. This can make detox harder and make recovery seem impossible. With the right nutritional program, including healthy foods, plenty of sleep, and the right high-quality vitamins and minerals, the comedown from opioids is not as hard. Instead of a desperate attempt to grasp sobriety, recovering addicts find themselves in a happier state than ever after such rehabilitation.
It is possible to recover from heroin addiction without the shoddy practice of drug replacement. Recovery is easier and, in fact, more successful. Many former addicts on such rehabilitation programs go on to live completely drug-free lives without relapse.
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