Methadone Maintenance Treatment Q & A

I have a special treat tonight, an interview with Carol Sholiton, the founder and director of MethadoneSupport.org and the mirror site MethadoneAnonymous.info. Carol is a superhero in the world of methadone advocacy and a friend to all of us in recovery. Please take the time to visit her site, it has an amazing amount of information available and a great forum on medically assisted recovery. If you are interested how a recovering alcoholic like myself became a methadone advocate look at the posts here, here, here, and here.

Now, to the interview with my friend Carol Sholiton:

I can understand the animosity the general public shows to MMT because of misinformation and the fear mongering by politicians, but what is your view of the animosity that comes from traditional recovery programs such as AA and NA?

My organization is one of the only resources for Methadone Anonymous (MA). Unfortunately, many MMT patients are treated with a less than a polite welcome when entering other 12 step groups... AA... NA, etc. They are told that they may sit and listen to the meeting... but are not allowed to participate as anyone on MMT is not "clean", sigh. This is one of the main reasons that MA came into existance. It really is a shame, TDA. I could never imagine turning ANYONE away from a meeting that is looking for help/support... but I have heard nightmare story after nightmare story about this from MMT patients. MA came into existence for this reason.

While I am not against people staying on MMT because addiction is a chronic disease with relapse in most cases almost a certainty, but I wish there was more emphasis placed on the medically supervised tapering off of MMT. Are you aware of any programs that promote this?

As you know, lol… this is a very controversial topic... but one we answer at least daily. Most methadone clinics do not "push" the patient to taper off of MMT. First of all... opiate addicts do NOT have a good track record of staying "clean". Lots of us have what is called, "Endorphin Deficiency". What that means is that we've used opiates for so long that our brains no longer function as they once did. Their brain no longer supplies the endorphins that people depend on to feel good... and tapering will most times end in relapse. That said... I am NOT saying that no MMT patient is capable of tapering... it depends on the person... the length of time they're been using opiates… and so much more. We have a wonderful detox/taper forum that is full of good info... wise and wonderful people... and some much needed support!

Usually... if a patient wants to be tapered/detoxed... after discussing it with their counselor, the Dr. etc... they are put on a very slow taper. The rule of thumb with methadone taper is... THE SLOWER THE BETTER... and the lower the dose gets... the slower it needs to go.

Click "Read More" to see the second half of the interview...

While there are still those that scorn, I believe it is the unrestricted access to numerous media sources of our modern day that has reduced the stigma of seeking help for alcohol and drug addiction. It has always been commonplace, but now people realize this. But those in MMT have not enjoyed the same acceptance in society, why do
you think this is so?

Sigh... we get back to that whole "stigma" thing, TDA. In the average Joe's eyes... people that are on methadone are "dirty junkies"... "IV drug users". They have that picture in their minds of some back alley with a filthy, dirty person laying by a trash can... waiting for their next fix. To make things worse.....we now have a hysteria in the methadone community... that "METHADONE KILLS"... more stigma, ugh. What we MUST do is get the word out to the public that people taking MMT are the same as everyone else. We are professionals... mother's... father's... have homes, children etc. Take a look at my "Advocacy Page" at my website... look at the faces and read the words of people on MMT. Because of this exact attitude... we have a petition going. PLEASE... take the time to look at the petition and in particular... read the comments of the people that have signed it. Those are the REAL stories. Here's the link... read how Methadone SAVES lives!

What occurrence in your many years of service in the field has made the biggest impact on you?

Wow... this is a very hard question! First of all... I've been "in the field" for maaaaany moons now. Previous to doing what I am now... I used to be the President of a non-profit org for Hepatitis C... so I've seen it all... from one end to the other, lol. I guess the biggest "impact" would be right now... and it should be for everyone on MMT! There are people... organizations "out there" that would like nothing better than to have methadone pulled off of the market... restrict it even further... make all of our lives miserable. We MUST show the other side of MMT... that Methadone SAVES lives... not KILLS. Those that are on MMT... educate yourselves! So that if someone asks you about your treatment... you know how to answer them... CORRECTLY. My organization recently became a member of CSAT's (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment - our gov't... the feds, lol) Patient Support and Community Education Project (PSCEP). There's a section at SAMHSA's website about the group... that is Questions and Answers... Q&A's. If you know the answers to these questions... then we can all be on the same page... Look around that website... it's all about "Medically Assisted Treatment". Stigma has always been an issue for MMT... but what's going on now is far worse.

Sheesh... I could go on and on... but I'll spare you! C'mon over to our website and have a good look around. There is so much to see. Our community of support forums has over 1,000 members and is a great place to discuss these issues. To your readers... there are more than a few things at the website where we'd appreciate your participation. We're always looking for Personal Recovery Stories......and we have a very unique page(s).....called Creative Recovery... where we showcase all kinds of things/artwork... aaaaaand our Methadone Around the World page... where patients outside of the USA tell how MMT is for them in their country (we NEED more countries... even Canada and the UK!)

Thanks so much for this opportunity, TDA! PLEASE… if myself or my organization can be of any assistance to you... just drop me a line anytime! Take good care of your good self... and thanks for all you do!

smooooooch.......Carol

I really appreciate Carol spending the time to share these things with us. Please, take the time to visit MethadoneSupport.org, it is well worth the visit and I can guarantee you one day you will have the opportunity to pass the info on to someone in need.

Thanks Carol!