Types of People at Methadone Clinics

One of the most common treatments for opioid addiction is methadone. In order to receive methadone, patients have to go to a methadone clinic on a daily basis to get the drug.

This prevents abuse and also makes sure that they are tolerating the drug well.

Back in 1993, experts estimated that 117,000 people were taking methadone for addiction recovery purposes. That number has only increased since then, as opioid addiction overall has shot through the roof.

Currently estimates show that about 2.1 million people in the United States are addicted to opiates.

Because of that, there are a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds that use methadone for treatment.

Would you like help finding methadone treatment? We can help! Call us at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) now to speak with a specialist and find the best centers in your area.

Types of People at Methadone Clinics

Many people at methadone clinics have stolen to feed their addiction.

Because methadone can be used for treating a number of different opioid addictions, there are many different kinds of people who frequent methadone clinics. For example, you might see people who are addicted to:

• Heroin
• Morphine
• Codeine
• Oxycodone
• Hydrocodone
• Fentanyl
• Other prescription painkillers

However, one study that looked at 109 patients at a methadone clinic in Malaysia were able to determine the general characteristics of the average methadone patient.

People Who Have Been Using Since They Were Teens

Overall, about 60 percent of patients started using drugs around age 19. Of this group, 15 percent had been using drugs for over 20 years.

The youngest patient in the group was now 26 years old and the oldest was 64 years old, meaning that there can be a wide age gap at a methadone clinic.

However, the main factor that ties everyone together is long-term drug use from early on in life.

People Who Have Friends Who Use

Over 50 percent of users said that they had gotten into using drugs because of the influence of their friends. In fact, the study also found that over 80 percent of participants obtained their drugs from friends.

People Who Use Heroin

Heroin was definitely the most common drug used in this particular study, as 98 participants said it was the drug that landed them on methadone.

People Who Use Daily

Unfortunately, nearly 75 percent of participants in the study admitted to daily substance abuse. This means that their abuse habits have become a part of their everyday lives.

People Who Steal to Get Drugs

Many of the participants in the study had also stolen money over the course of their drug addiction in order to pay for their expensive habit. In fact, 23.5 percent admitted to taking money in order to afford drugs.

Who is Most Likely to Visit a Methadone Clinic?

Although anyone can become addicted to opioids, there are certain populations that are most affected and most likely to seek methadone treatment.

People Who Have Other Diseases

Drug addiction wasn’t the only problem some of the patients were facing. In fact, 7.8 percent of them were HIV-positive, while 17.6 percent had Hepatitis B or C.

People Who Tried Quitting on Their Own

Nearly everyone in the study had tried quitting drugs on their own at some point, with 92.2 percent admitting their failure.

People Who Want to End Their Addiction

Perhaps the most important statistic is the fact that 98 percent of people at the methadone clinic were there because they wanted to stop their dependence on their drug of choice.

Chances are, after reading this list, you’ll probably realize that you fit some of the characteristics of the typical methadone patient.

With this in mind, there’s no reason to be afraid to go to a methadone clinic. You’ll be accepted and treated just like everyone else.

Ready to get started? Just call us at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to find the closest clinic to you.