Renee who provides treatment in Knoxville, Tenn.
Opiate detox isn't the nightmare that it's portrayed on TV/movies to be. Detoxing from opiates includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, aches and pains, and the sniffles. Symptoms decrease over time up to 10 days, with the worst being the first 4 days. It does not include "DT's" or the severity we see with alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal that does include the medical emergency of "DT's." It is more like a case of flu. This is not to say they aren't miserable throughout detox, they are. What is more concerning is the addict's behavior. Giving them methadone or Suboxone is only a temporary fix. We are substituting one drug with another. Methadone and Suboxone can be used in a needle and it too is abused by those addicted to opiates. I've seen it too many times. It's a lie that these treatment drugs "help" addicts. They do not. Detox off of methadone is a nasty long detox process that's even worse than the other mainstream opiates.
The opiate addict needs long-term addiction treatment and counseling to address addict behaviors -- lying, manipulating, hurting others, criminal behavior to achieve getting their drug. They need counseling to repair themselves and start building bridges back to their family and community. Many have had their children taken away and family members don't want anything to do with them further isolating the addict and increasing their likelihood of relapse. Rehabs need to be at least 90 days, not a 5-day detox program which is a joke. 30 days is barely enough to get them well enough to think clear. 90-day minimums should be required for the standard rehab program and continued counseling up to 2-3 years afterwards. If we don't invest heavily into real treatment options then we aren't talking about real solutions.