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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2002, 04, 3 (pages: 27 - 32)

Methadone and commonplaces

Gioè P., Rosa B., Papa M., Troia M., Triolo F.

Summary: Research developments in methadone research point to the need to give adequate doses in maintenance programmes for the treatment of opiate dependence. This suggestion often clashes with the long-standing prejudices of users, who are not fully compliant with long-term substitution programmes; this makes it difficult to fully implement the correct treatment. Our service has therefore tested a different intervention methodology, in order to: 1) favour treatment retention; 2) improve the quality of the treatment itself. Small groups of users under substitution treatment were formed: they met for counselling in a group setting. This form of open discussion allowed: 1) health workers to provide correct information about methadone; 2) patients to learn more about drug addiction and its possible treatments, by following a new route to self-knowledge and taking part in interactive confrontation; 3) both groups (health workers and users) the opportunity to have a more genuine and confidential relationship. In order to make available to those outside the experimental group the subject of this experience, a comic strip directed to all the other users of the service was prepared. One year after the conclusion of this experimental technique, all the users who had been involved in it were still compliant with treatment, in line with the initial therapeutical project, and some of them have entered the detoxification phase.