End opioid addiction

[Sunbeam]

MYO doesn't usually deal with drug addiction, but I found it interesting that most of the drug treatment programs only use 12-step programs. This approach isn't as effective as using meds.

We do not use an evidence-backed method for treating heroin addiction.

[paulywogg]

Interesting article Sunbeam,thanks for sharing

[Guitarista]

Thanks Sunbeam. I didn't know this about the USA. In Australia, methadone is widely used and easily available as part of a heroin addicts recovery/maintenance program. It is of course still an opioid and addictive, so there is always some associated concern around the length of maintenance use and dependance. Methadone has saved many lives no doubt, but some folk still struggle with their old familiar crutch and will use heroin on top of their regular methadone dose. I think a lot of the abstinence argument is based on this. i.e. that person is still using a mind altering substance and hooked on a drug, albeit with a lower effect. A bit tricky, but i think both roads have merit and both roads can be a lifesaver. Depends where someone's at and what they want. For me, i much prefer the abstinence route, as i believe we have all the survival tools we need within us already. Main man would be the mind. We need to train it to serve us, not the other way around. Medically supervised injecting rooms like we have in Sydney, Vancouver Canada, and some cities in Europe, are a real valid harm minimisation approach to drastically reducing fatal heroin overdose, as they do.

[southshoregirl]

Interesting article. Where I live there is a huge opiate problem. A lot of recovering addicts I met in AA do use suboxone, this medication has probably saved many lives.

[starty]

Interesting article indeed. Yes there are many schools of thought about this. I have an opiate addiction and if I was given a maintenance dose I know for sure that I would need to top up with something. But that is just me and I know that abstinence works for my particular set of circumstances. Damage limitation by giving a drug that is the lesser of two evils? Sure for some that is a necessity. I guess it depends on the route cause of the issue and the addicts mindset/circumstances and also whether there is additional support too. Like everything there is so many ways to obtain a result and thankfully so.