Entering treatment is all about change, positive change. People who make the decision to utilize methadone assistance have a desire to not only stabilize & avoid feeling sick, but to rebuild their lives.
Drug treatment in general is about opportunity. Diabetics could struggle along without insulin. But why should they? Those at risk of congestive heart disease could ignore the benefits of cholesterol-reducing statin drugs like Lipitor or Crestor. But why should they?
When a medication has been thoroughly researched and proven to enhance & save lives, that's a plus! Methadone provides opportunity for health and a life rebuilding process. In other words, a new start. It is vitally important for drug treatment professionals to understand that one size does not fit all. There are many paths to recovery and a true variety of approaches which addicted people can take advantage of in their effort to deal positively with their addiction. The old adage, "If it works, it works!", has more than a grain of truth.
Methadone clinics (suboxone too) are being accessed and successfully utilized by many people who are determined to manage their addictive disease and start living again. Don't judge them. Support them!
Now it's true that opioid replacement therapy is not typically the first treatment of choice right out of the gate. Sometimes opioid addicted individuals can achieve lasting recovery through outpatient counseling, detox, inpatient rehab programs, or committing wholeheartedly to the Narcotics Anonymous 12 Step program. There are choices, different paths. In the end, it's the addicted person's life, and it is their choice to choose that which offers them the best chance at a new start. Remember, when it comes to addiction, it is much better to do something … than nothing at all. Move toward a solution. Don't stay stuck.
I had the pleasant good fortune of seeing a former client the other day who had entered methadone treatment for his opiate addiction about 7 years ago. I remember him struggling for the first 2 years with relapses (mostly to cocaine, not opiates) and our clinic offering a variety of different treatments to help him get on track.
Portland is a large pacific northwest city in the state of Oregon with a metro population of about 2.2 million people. To its credit, Portland offers a considerable number of opioid treatment programs that specialize in the use of methadone and suboxone replacement therapy. Consequently, those struggling with opioid addiction have numerous medication-assisted treatment alternatives in the greater Portland area.
Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, speaks in this 
With an estimated two million people in America dealing with an opioid problem, finding solutions is obviously important to a great many individuals and families. Drug addiction treatment has been around for many decades as have Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous self-help programs.
