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Methadone And Treatment Of Methadone Treatment

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Methadone Maintenance Treatment
Post World War II New York City was faced with a major heroin epidemic with over 151,000 names listed in the Narcotics Register (Herman). As a medical response, methadone was developed to treat heroin addiction (Herman). Today methadone maintenance treatment has grown to become a popular therapy for drug addiction as well as pain management. Methadone has helped many people to create new lives for themselves, yet there is still debate over the success of this program. Methadone assisted treatment should be seen as an effective program in combating opioid addiction due to its health and social benefits for both users and the community.
Methadone is a synthetic opiate, similar in chemical structure to …show more content…

By discontinuing abuse, addicts can reduce their risks for overdose. In addition, the possibility of transmitting and acquiring diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B or C, bacterial infections, endocarditis, soft tissue infections, thrombophlebitis, tuberculosis, and STDs is significantly reduced (“Methadone Maintenance Treatment”). Most importantly, patients’ mortality rates are reduced considerably (“Methadone Maintenance Treatment”).
Methadone does not affect the HIV virus; addicts just have the ability to stop sharing dirty needles and selling sex for drugs once prescribed. Addicts who are motivated enough to seek opiate substitution treatment for their problem, will be careful to protect themselves from HIV. HIV risk is considerably lowered by giving methadone to drug addicts; they will neither spread nor receive the virus (McNeil). This is so significant because contaminated needles cause 5-10% of HIV infections in the world (McNeil). A study done by the British Journal found that making methadone regularly available reduced HIV by 54% in 9 countries (McNeil).
Methadone does not just help the patient, but mends society. Families can begin to function once again without having an unstable addict in their lives. Criminal activity decreases. Fewer people feel it is necessary to commit crimes in order to make money for buying drugs. There are also less drug dealers when fewer users are willing to buy. As the amount of people on the streets

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