Lots of people don't understand this completely when they begin a methadone maintenance program, but methadone as a prescription medication doesn't in fact effectively resolve opiate addiction. Methadone, whether used as part of an opiate maintenance program or abused illicitly, creates significant dependence which is far more extreme than most other opiates like heroin. For this reason, individuals who would like to stop use of methadone will need to undergo methadone detoxification with the help of rehabilitation professionals. Whoever has tried to stop methadone use independently cold turkey can tell you that this is nearly impossible, and most relapse rapidly. With professional methadone detoxification, there is certainly hope for individuals who wish to abstain from the drug once and for all. Within an alcohol and drug detoxification program alcohol and drug treatment program which handled methadone dependency and addiction treatment professionals do everything they can to help relieve withdrawal symptoms and ensure methadone detoxification is a safe course of action. There won't be any real health risks related to methadone detoxification if the person is healthy, however this isn't always true. Poor health as a result of drug abuse may make methadone detoxification dangerous, which is another reason people should undergo methadone detoxification in a professional setting.