Answer to your Question

Answered By: Addiction Specialist

Answer: This is a great question. The answer depends on who you ask. Many drug treatment facilities will not allow individuals enrolled in their program to be on methadone. Narcotics Anonymous has published the following on this issue: NA Board of Trustees Bulletin #29 Regarding Methadone and other Drug Replacement Programs

• "Members on drug replacement programs such as methadone are encouraged to attend NA meetings."
• "While some groups choose to allow such members to share, it is also a common practice for NA groups to encourage these members (or any other addict who is still using), to participate only by listening and by talking with members after the meeting or during the break."
• "We make a distinction between drugs used by drug replacement programs and other prescribed drugs because such drugs are prescribed specifically as addiction treatment. Our program approaches recovery from addiction through abstinence, cautioning against the substitution of one drug for another."

The medical community tends to have a more positive view of methadone maintenance based on the large number of studies that have shown that it reduces and often eliminates use of illicit opiates, decreases criminal activity associated with drug use, and reduces the spread of HIV. Furthermore several meta analyses, which are considered to be the best quality of evidence, have shown that methadone therapy results in better treatment retention and reduced drug use than placebo for individuals with opiate dependence. Individuals on a stable dose of methadone can lead very functional lives. Whether they are truly "clean" is a matter of opinion. Regular attendance at 12 step meetings and "working the program" has also been shown to be an effective treatment for addiction and individuals on methadone would likely benefit from 12 step group participation, but they may need to find groups that are receptive to methadone maintenance if they want to actively participate. There is a 12 step group called Methadone Anonymous www.methadone-anonymous.org (this website was not working at time of writing. Try http://www.methadonesupport.org/) specifically for individuals on methadone maintenance therapy.

Answered on: May 13, 2009