Methadone Clinics
Methadone Clinics and Needle Exchange Programs: Critical Thinking
There are many people in the world today that are drug addicts and cannot quit by themselves which is where the methadone clinics come into the picture. Methadone reduces the withdrawal symptoms therefore making it easier to quit drugs. Even though methadone is supposedly proven to be safe, it seems to have biases and stigmas associated with it because it is an opioid medication and many people can become addicted to it as well as have serious side effects. For individuals who aren 't willing to quit using drugs, they offer needle exchange programs that reduce the risks of infections and diseases. Needle exchange programs are important in a society like today because a lot of people are practicing unsafe techniques when injecting themselves with drugs. Some individuals may share their needles and get diseases like HIV which can cause further problems and more possibilities of other individuals getting diseases. It can also be seen as the program approving of drug use. I believe both of these methods have positive and negative effects, which I will examine in this paper. Throughout this paper, I will analyze both methadone clinics and needle exchange programs, if they are effective methods, and explore if there should be more of these clinics established. Methadone clinics are unlike any other clinics because they are supplying a drug in return for the drug users to abstain from taking the drugs they are on. Methadone is an opioid medication which is highly addictive especially to those who already have a substance abuse problem. I believe for the methadone maintenance program to work, the individual has to want to quit using drugs because the program is a voluntary program. The program is effective if they abstain from drug abuse while taking methadone because of the serious side effects when taken with other drugs. “The most optimal treatment outcomes occur when individuals are retained in
There are many people in the world today that are drug addicts and cannot quit by themselves which is where the methadone clinics come into the picture. Methadone reduces the withdrawal symptoms therefore making it easier to quit drugs. Even though methadone is supposedly proven to be safe, it seems to have biases and stigmas associated with it because it is an opioid medication and many people can become addicted to it as well as have serious side effects. For individuals who aren 't willing to quit using drugs, they offer needle exchange programs that reduce the risks of infections and diseases. Needle exchange programs are important in a society like today because a lot of people are practicing unsafe techniques when injecting themselves with drugs. Some individuals may share their needles and get diseases like HIV which can cause further problems and more possibilities of other individuals getting diseases. It can also be seen as the program approving of drug use. I believe both of these methods have positive and negative effects, which I will examine in this paper. Throughout this paper, I will analyze both methadone clinics and needle exchange programs, if they are effective methods, and explore if there should be more of these clinics established. Methadone clinics are unlike any other clinics because they are supplying a drug in return for the drug users to abstain from taking the drugs they are on. Methadone is an opioid medication which is highly addictive especially to those who already have a substance abuse problem. I believe for the methadone maintenance program to work, the individual has to want to quit using drugs because the program is a voluntary program. The program is effective if they abstain from drug abuse while taking methadone because of the serious side effects when taken with other drugs. “The most optimal treatment outcomes occur when individuals are retained in
References: Legal AIDS/HIV Legal Network. (2007). Sticking points: Barriers to access to needle and syringe programs in Canada. Retrieved from http://library.catie.ca/PDF/P44/24694e.pdf Macneil, J., & Pauly, B. (2011). Needle exchange as a safe haven in an unsafe world. Drug & Alcohol Review, 30(1), 26-32. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00188.x Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (2009). Clinical best practice guidelines: Supporting clients on the methadone maintenance program. Retrieved from http://rnao.ca/sites/rnao-ca/files/Supporting_Clients_on_Methadone_Maintenance_Treatment.pdf Stamler, L.L., & Yiu, L. (2012). Community health nursing: A Canadian perspective. (3rd ed.). Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada Inc.