A lot of people don't understand this completely once they start a methadone maintenance program, but methadone as a prescription medication doesn't in fact effectively resolve opiate addiction. Methadone, whether included in an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, creates significant dependence which is much more severe than most other opiates including heroin. Due to this, individuals who want to get off of methadone will need to undergo methadone detoxification with the help of treatment specialists. Anyone who has attempted to stop methadone use independently abruptly can tell you that this is virtually impossible, and many relapse quickly. With expert methadone detoxification, there's hope for those who would like to abstain from the drug completely. Inside a drug detox program drug and alcohol rehab program which handled methadone dependence and addiction rehab professionals do everything they can to help ease withdrawal symptoms and ensure methadone detoxification is a safe process. There aren't any real health hazards linked to methadone detoxification if the individual is healthy, however, this isn't always the case. Illness as a consequence of drug abuse could make methadone detoxification risky, and is one more reason folks should undergo methadone detoxification in a professional setting.