Lots of people don't understand this fully when they start a methadone maintenance program, but methadone being a prescription drug doesn't in fact treat opiate addiction. Methadone, whether used as part of an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, produces significant dependence which is much more extreme than most other opiates like heroin. For this reason, individuals who wish to stop use of methadone will likely need to undergo methadone detoxification with the aid of rehabilitation professionals. Anyone who has attempted to stop methadone use independently abruptly can tell you that this is virtually impossible, and many relapse in a short time. With expert methadone detoxification, there's hope for many who need to get off of the drug forever. Within a drug and alcohol detoxification center drug rehabilitation facility which deals with methadone dependence and addiction treatment specialists do everything they can to help ease withdrawal symptoms and make sure methadone detoxification is a safe course of action. There are no real health problems related to methadone detoxification when the person is healthy, however, this isn't always true. Poor health as a result of drug or alcohol use may make methadone detoxification risky, which is another reason people should undergo methadone detoxification inside a professional setting.