When to Seek a Methadone Rehab Centre

Although methadone is primarily used to treat a heroin addiction, it was created as a painkiller. However, this opiate drug is highly addictive and many of the addicted patients it was designed to treat have now swapped a heroin addiction for a methadone addiction. This is a growing problem, and as a result, more and more people require treatment from methadone rehab centres. It is our job here at Recovery.org.uk to help as many methadone addicts as possible access the treatments that they need to overcome this new addiction.

Swapping One Addiction for Another

While many people are passionate about the methadone programme and believe it allows heroin addicts to conquer their addiction successfully, others are more critical and are of the opinion that swapping one addiction for another is counter-productive.

The methadone programme is based around the idea that those with a devastating heroin addiction should be prescribed daily doses of methadone that they will take under supervision. The effects of methadone are longer lasting than those of heroin so patients only need one dose in a twenty-four-hour period.

The problem that many have with this programme is that although methadone does manage to help some people beat their heroin addiction, many will develop a physical dependency on methadone and because this drug is more addictive than heroin, they will find it almost impossible to quit. This means that many will spend the rest of their lives receiving daily doses of methadone. Some experts believe it would be better for heroin addicts to undergo detox and rehabilitation or to be given supervised heroin instead of methadone.

Overcoming a Methadone Addiction

Substance addictions generally require the patient to complete a programme of detoxification in order for rehabilitation to begin. It would be impossible for addicts to focus on rehabilitation unless they were completely clean.

Detox is the process of giving up the substance being abused and then waiting it out until the chemicals have been eliminated from the body. Depending on the substance being abused, this process can take a few days to a few weeks. During the process, it is common for a number of withdrawal symptoms to occur as the body tries to get back to normal now that drugs or alcohol are no longer being ingested. Some withdrawal symptoms may linger for months but will be less severe than in the early days of recovery.

After detox, it is necessary to begin the process of rehabilitation, and for those who want to overcome a methadone addiction, it may be a good idea to look for methadone rehab centres where the staff will have knowledge and experience of dealing with this type of illness.

Recovery.org.uk can assist you when it comes to finding suitable methadone rehab centres. We have compiled a vast database of information regarding treatment organisations all over the UK and abroad. This information is available instantly at the click of a button so you do not need to spend hours searching for a suitable provider where methadone addiction has been successfully treated in the past.

What We Do

We are a referral service offering advice and information on all types of addiction. Our service is completely free and confidential, and we deal with patients inquiring for themselves or with concerned family members inquiring on behalf of an addicted loved one.

Please rest assured that anything you tell us will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence. Nothing you say will be passed to a third party without your permission, and we will never put pressure on you to sign up for treatment unless you are ready. You are under no obligation to do so by calling us.

Our goal is to help as many people as possible access suitable addiction treatment providers. We understand how stressful it can be to search through the seemingly endless pages of information on addiction treatments online, so we have taken care of this for you. We can access the information you need instantly and effortlessly; all you have to do is ask.

Treatments Provided at Methadone Rehab Centres

After completing a programme of detoxification for a methadone addiction, you will be ready to start the process of rehabilitation. It is important to point out that while detox is a crucial part of recovery, it is just the first step.

Before you are ready to start living a clean, sober life, you must tackle the issue of identifying the cause of your addictive behaviour and learning how to recognise cues and temptations that trigger this behaviour. That way, you can avoid them in the future as this will impact on your long-term recovery success.

With the help of professional counsellors and staff, you will come to understand more about your addiction and what lies at the root of it. You will learn a lot about yourself during the process, and with the help of treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, you can find out how to replace maladaptive behaviours with more positive actions.

At a residential rehab centre, you may also have access to various workshops and seminars where you will be taught independent living skills and relapse prevention. Many addicts never learned social or cognitive skills required for sober living because they have been dealing with addiction for many years.

Other treatments will typically include one-to-one counselling, group therapy sessions, contingency management, motivational interviewing and 12-step work. Family therapy is also often provided because of the impact that one family member’s illness has on other members of the family. It is essential that the entire family receives therapy as this is an illness that can have a devastating impact on all.

More Information

If you have been affected directly or indirectly by methadone addiction, contact us here at Recovery.org.uk today. Our professional counsellors, therapists and support staff are on hand to discuss your situation and can provide you with more information on the methadone rehab centres near you. We can also offer advice on how to access treatments if you are ready to take the next step towards recovery.