We often hear about methadone clinics for heroin addicts but many people have no idea what methadone is and how it works. While methadone is a drug similar to heroin, the main feature and helpful aspect of it is that it lasts longer than heroin and takes longer to work. This alleviates the rush that some get from heroin and can help with maintaining abstinence since the high is still there but the sought after rush is not.  Simply put, methadone helps with a gradual transition away from heroin, which helps users stay clean more often than trying to stop heroin cold turkey.

While methadone is still a drug and is still unsafe, it is a better alternative than actual heroin use. The key to using methadone is the gradual transition away from all opiates. It acts as a gateway to abstinence and can also help an addict stay safer because the clinics make sure the users get clean needles and clean drugs. On the streets, a heroin addict risks getting a needle that may have been used by a person that is HIV positive or getting too much of the drug and overdosing. There can also be the chance of gaining an infection or damage to the circulatory system when using street drugs. Lastly, the purity is always in question, whereas methadone is administered by a health care official.

Methadone can help but the user has to be on a closely monitored program to ensure success and safety. Methadone cannot be combined with other drugs or alcohol because this can cause a fatal reaction. It is important that the person using it follows the physician’s strict orders. Although this can be hard for some users, it is still more helpful than a user sticking with heroin and not trying the gateway drug.