Addiction is a disease that has been plaguing the human race for thousands of years, but it’s only relatively recently that we’ve realized it was a disease. Before the accumulation of research that led to the disease model of addiction, the consensus was that habitual substance abuse was simply a person’s refusal to exercise restraint or self-control. As a result, addiction was highly stigmatized and even criminalized, resulting in many addicts being sent to prison and asylums. The idea was that imprisonment would force them into sobriety while fear of additional punishment would discourage them from returning to substance abuse. However, that was not the case. Most of the people who were incarcerated for substance abuse quickly returned to the deviant behavior upon their release, suggesting that there was something more to this behavior than what met the eye.
Over time, we began to notice that people who habitually abused mind-altering substances would eventually begin defying their own logic and rationality. If they had to endanger themselves or others in the course of seeking or consuming a mind-altering substance, they would willingly do so, which contradiction their innate self-preservation by causing them to act against what was in their best interests. It became clear that substance abusers’ brains no longer worked the same way that other people’s brains did, leading to the conception of the disease model of addiction.
When a person suffers from a substance abuse problem today, he or she is fortunate to have a number of options available that can help him or her to get sober. The preferred — and reportedly the most effective — means of overcoming an addiction to alcohol or drugs is to enroll in an addiction treatment program at an alcohol or drug rehab. Through psychotherapy, group treatment, and a number of other techniques, addicts can regain their sobriety and, therefore, their free will. Another popular option is to join a twelve-step program, which is a popular recovery fellowship wherein members serves as the supporters of one another as they each work through a series of steps designed to help them achieve mental, physical, and spiritual recovery.
Beyond those options, there’s also replacement therapy. This technique is typically used in programs in which patients are given a drug like methadone as part of a maintenance program. As such, the following will present a description of how methadone is used in the treatment of opiate addiction, any effects or dangers methadone might present, and whether there are any alternatives to methadone that can be used for similar purposes.
How Is Methadone Used In Opioid Addiction Treatment?
One of the most problematic types of drugs to which countless Americans have become addicted is the class known as opioids. These are substances that offer effects similar to that of opium obtained from the opium poppy. Opium is a powerful central nervous system depressant from which the many different painkillers that are available today have been created. While these medications have proven to be effective in treating severe pain, they’ve also proven to be highly addictive. When taken habitually over a period of time, a person becomes physically and even psychologically dependent on opioid substances and will experience withdrawal symptoms when deprived of the drug. Addiction treatment professionals encourage opioid addicts to complete a detox program followed by inpatient treatment, but an alternate would be to begin replacement therapy in a methadone maintenance program.
Methadone is an opioid analgesic that can be used to treat pain; however, it’s most well-known for its use in the treatment of opioid addiction. When a patient who is addicted to heroin or painkillers chooses a methadone maintenance program, he or she will begin by receiving daily doses of methadone. Methadone is known to have a rather long half-life for an opioid, but it takes a period of several days of taking the drug daily for it to reach its peak level of effect. When a person has reached the peak level of effect, he or she is considered to be on a stable dose of methadone. In this state, the methadone binds to his or her opioid receptors, which prevents him or her from experiencing withdrawals while also satisfying any cravings he or she would otherwise be having; however, methadone is different from other opioids in that it doesn’t offer the same level of euphoria, so patients on a stable dose of methadone don’t get intoxicated, or “high”, from the drug like they would on other opioids, and the methadone actually blocks the effects of other opioids to an extent. Once stabilized, an individual can either continue methadone maintenance indefinitely or begin a methadone taper, which means steadily decreasing dosage until he or she is no longer physically dependent on opioids.
What Are The Dangers Of Methadone?
Like all other opioids, there are certain dangers with methadone, which is why methadone maintenance programs require patients to consume their daily doses while under medical supervision, requiring them to visit their treatment facilities every single day. Despite there being much evidence showing how effective methadone maintenance is in treatment opioid addiction, it can have a dangerous reaction with a number of other substances. In particular, combining methadone with benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium has proven to be lethal; therefore, methadone maintenance programs require patients to take regular drug screens to assure that they’re abiding by the rules of the program. And like any other opioid, there’s also a risk of overdose, especially when methadone is combined with other opioids.
Are There Other Maintenance Drugs For Opiate Addiction?
Besides methadone, a common drug used in maintenance programs is one called Suboxone. Considered very similar to methadone, Suboxone is another powerful partial opioid agonist that bonds with the brain’s opioid receptors to prevent withdrawal symptoms and cravings while offering no intoxication or euphoria; however, a primary difference between methadone and Suboxone is that Suboxone is much more effective at blocking the effects of other opioids due to containing an amount of naloxone, which is notably used to reverse an opioid overdose.
Get Your Life Back By Calling Drug Treatment Center Finder Today
If you or someone you love would benefit from a free consultation with one of Drug Treatment Center Finder’s experienced recovery specialists, call us now at 855-619-8070. We have helped countless people get their lives back by matching them to the rehabs that best met their needs, and we can do the same for you or your loved one. Don’t want a moment longer; one phone call will be your first step to a new life of health and sobriety.