EON

It is now believed that the best treatment for intense heroin addicts is not methadone or the drug of their choice, but heroin. A program in Vancouver states that the use of heroin works more efficiently for addicts by keeping them in their treatment and away from trouble.

For many years, doctors in European countries give some addicts heroin by prescription instead as an alternative to buying it on the street. This treatment seems to work well for addicts, but is still very controversial because heroin is illegal and policy makers believe that treatment with heroin many only increase the severity of the habit.

Those who are long time addicts and are provided supervised doses of the heroin seem to be staying in treatment for longer periods of time and involved in less criminal activities compared to those who are still receiving the methadone treatments. The worse weakness of the methadone treatments is not that people do not want to take the treatment; they just do not like it.

In Canada, diacetylmorphine (the active ingredient in heroin) was administered to 115 addicts and methadone was given to 111 addicts. Two thirds of the first group did show a decrease in criminal behavior and drug use while the second group showed less than half had decreased.

Every person included in this trial was at least 25 and a user of heroin for as little as five years. These participants have also failed to succeed in a treatment program two times before, one time including a program of methadone treatment. Everyone studied has had difficulties with their addiction for many years.