A lot of people don't understand this completely once they start a methadone maintenance program, but methadone being a prescription medicine doesn't in fact effectively resolve opiate addiction. Methadone, whether included in an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, creates considerable dependence which is way more extreme than most other opiates like heroin. For this reason, individuals who would like to get off of methadone will have to undergo methadone detoxification with the help of treatment professionals. Individuals who have attempted to stop methadone use by themselves cold turkey can tell you that this is virtually impossible, and most relapse in a short time. With professional methadone detoxification, there's hope for those who need to abstain from the drug forever. In a drug detox facility alcohol and drug treatment program which deals with methadone dependency and addiction treatment specialists do everything they can to ease withdrawal symptoms and make certain methadone detoxification is a safe process. There are no real health risks linked to methadone detoxification when the individual is healthy, however this isn't always the case. Bad health as a result of drug or alcohol use might make methadone detoxification risky, which is one more reason individuals should undergo methadone detoxification within a specialist facility.