Many people don't understand this completely when they start a methadone maintenance program, but methadone being a prescription medicine doesn't actually treat opiate dependency. Methadone, whether used as part of an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, produces significant dependence which is much more extreme than other opiates including heroin. Because of this, individuals who wish to stop use of methadone will likely need to undergo methadone detoxification with the aid of rehabilitation professionals. Individuals who have attempted to stop methadone use on their own cold turkey can tell you that this is virtually impossible, and most relapse quickly. With expert methadone detoxification, there's hope for many who desire to abstain from the drug forever. Within a drug and alcohol detox program alcohol and drug treatment program which treats methadone dependency and addiction treatment experts do everything they can to help ease withdrawal symptoms and ensure methadone detoxification is really a safe course of action. There won't be any real health problems related to methadone detoxification if the individual is healthy, however this isn't always true. Illness because of drug or alcohol use may make methadone detoxification dangerous, and is one more reason people should undergo methadone detoxification inside a professional setting.