Methadone revolutionized the treatment of opioid addiction in the 1960s by providing the first effective, practical, and legal alternative to detoxification.
Detoxification is generally inadequate on its own to provide lasting sobriety because most addicts eventually relapse without additional treatment. Medication-assisted treatment with methadone provided the first legal treatment that was effective in reducing relapses. Treatment with methadone also reshaped our understanding of opioid addiction by demonstrating that addiction was an illness because there was now a medical treatment that substantially aided in recovery.
Prior to the 1960s, the social stigma of opioid addiction was pervasive and continues to this day in many parts of our country. Prior to the introduction of methadone, addiction was viewed as a moral failure, not an illness. It was illegal to be an opioid addict and illegal for physicians to treat addiction with a substitute medication such as morphine or methadone. African-Americans were unfairly blamed for the surge in crime stemming from opioid addiction.
Methadone treatment was the beginning of our recognition of addiction as a treatable medical illness on a nationwide scale. Medication-assisted treatment with methadone remains a proven, popular and successful treatment program that continues to be …show more content…
Addicts must learn why they became addicted and what they will need to do to remain substance-free after completing treatment. There is no set time to stay on methadone, but recommendations are for a minimum of twelve months. Patients with a more problematic drug abuse history may benefit from longer-term or indefinite treatment with methadone. The physician and patient jointly decide when or if to discontinue methadone. However, unless committed by the court for treatment with methadone, patients can choose to end treatment at any
Detoxification is generally inadequate on its own to provide lasting sobriety because most addicts eventually relapse without additional treatment. Medication-assisted treatment with methadone provided the first legal treatment that was effective in reducing relapses. Treatment with methadone also reshaped our understanding of opioid addiction by demonstrating that addiction was an illness because there was now a medical treatment that substantially aided in recovery.
Prior to the 1960s, the social stigma of opioid addiction was pervasive and continues to this day in many parts of our country. Prior to the introduction of methadone, addiction was viewed as a moral failure, not an illness. It was illegal to be an opioid addict and illegal for physicians to treat addiction with a substitute medication such as morphine or methadone. African-Americans were unfairly blamed for the surge in crime stemming from opioid addiction.
Methadone treatment was the beginning of our recognition of addiction as a treatable medical illness on a nationwide scale. Medication-assisted treatment with methadone remains a proven, popular and successful treatment program that continues to be …show more content…
Addicts must learn why they became addicted and what they will need to do to remain substance-free after completing treatment. There is no set time to stay on methadone, but recommendations are for a minimum of twelve months. Patients with a more problematic drug abuse history may benefit from longer-term or indefinite treatment with methadone. The physician and patient jointly decide when or if to discontinue methadone. However, unless committed by the court for treatment with methadone, patients can choose to end treatment at any