Detoxification, the initial step in the treatment of opiate dependence (Freedman, 1980) has been facing difficulties in our country as the widely used drug methadone is not available. Earlier practices were either abrupt withdrawal or gradual tapering of the dose of the opiate to which the individual was dependent. Recently clonidine has been used with success for detoxification and treatment o...

Detoxification refers to the safe discontinuation from a substance of dependence and is distinct from relapse prevention. Detoxification usually takes between a few days and a few weeks to complete, depending on the substance being misused, the severity of dependence and the support available to the user. Psychosocial therapies alongside pharmacological treatments are essential to improve outco...

BACKGROUND Both compulsory detoxification treatment and community-based methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) exist for heroin addicts in China. We aim to examine the effectiveness of three intervention models for referring heroin addicts released from compulsory detoxification centers to community methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China. MET...