Many people don't understand this fully whenever they begin a methadone maintenance program, but methadone being a prescription medicine doesn't actually treat opiate addiction. Methadone, whether included in an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, produces considerable dependence which is much more severe than most other opiates including heroin. Because of this, individuals who want to get off of methadone will need to undergo methadone detoxification with the help of rehab professionals. Those who have tried to stop methadone use on their own cold turkey can tell you that this is virtually impossible, and many relapse quickly. With expert methadone detoxification, there is certainly hope for those who desire to abstain from the drug once and for all. Inside an alcohol and drug detox program alcohol and drug rehabilitation program which handled methadone dependency and addiction rehab professionals do everything they can to relieve withdrawal symptoms and ensure methadone detoxification is a safe course of action. There aren't any real health risks connected with methadone detoxification when the individual is healthy, however, this isn't always true. Bad health as a result of substance abuse might make methadone detoxification dangerous, and is another reason individuals should undergo methadone detoxification inside a specialist setting.