Many opiate addicts turn to the help of methadone and suboxone clinics to help with their addiction problems. Methadone is classified as opiates designed to treat moderate to severe pain and is part of the opioid family. Suboxone is also designed to treat moderate to severe pain and is classified under the Buprenorphine family. Both methadone and suboxone are highly addictive both physically and mentally, so why do some addicts view them as a cure all for addiction?

Throughout the United States 1,000′s of addicts go to a methadone or suboxone clinic everyday to get their dose. Without it they will barely be able to function through their day going through withdrawal symptoms equal to or even worse than heroin and Oxycotin. They are still physically dependent on a narcotic substance to be able to live a “normal” day to day life.

There has been controversy around this for a long time due to the fact that many of these addicts that go to methadone and suboxone clinics consider themselves clean and sober. In many larger support groups like AA, NA and SMART Recovery they use the term “clean and sober” to describe someone who is absent from using all mood and mind altering substances. So in the opinions of some those using methadone and suboxone are not clean.

If someone who is not physically dependent on opiates is to take methadone or suboxone 99.9% of the time they will get high from it. The physical dependency on both methadone and suboxone is quite severe. The physical withdrawal from most opiates is about 5-10 days, where methadone and suboxone withdrawal can last in excess of 30 days. They are both classified as narcotics by the US government, methadone is a schedule II and suboxone is a schedule III.

Obviously going to a methadone and suboxone clinic on a daily basis is better than shooting heroin, that’s a given, but to still have to rely on a narcotic to be able to function is not a positive thing. In some medical detoxes they will give opiate addicts either methadone or suboxone to help wean the addict off of their drugs.

When used correctly methadone and suboxone can be used to wean a drug addict off of opiates in just about a week or so. Methadone and suboxone will greatly help reduce the physical withdrawal symptoms associated with the detox from opiates. Doctors and nurses will often add in some other medication to help with the added anxiety that comes with a drug detox. When the addict leaves the detox they are no longer physically dependent on any narcotic substances.

We want to know what your opinion is on this controversial subject. Share your thoughts with us and explain why you lean towards that opinion. By using methadone or suboxone daily do you consider that person to be sober/clean?

Call Recovery Society today for help with drug addiction or alcoholism, we are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to help the addict that is still struggling. 1-866-527-5252.