Methadone Maintenance Treatment of Narcotic Addiction: A Unit of Medical Care Based on Over 50,000 Patient Treatment Years

Abstract

The experience with methadone maintenance treatment by two major New York City methadone maintenance treatment programs using the Dole-Nyswander philosophy is reviewed. After more than 56,000 person-years in treatment over a 10-year period of time, a unit of medical experience exemplified by these two programs is evident. There was a high degree of patient acceptance, a small amount of recognized residual illicit drug abuse, and steeply reduced criminal activities of those patients who remained in treatment. A wide variety of other methadone treatment programs are recognized. Many use methadone differently from those in the present study. The treatment results reported herein may represent a standard by which narcotic (methadone and other) treatment programs can be assessed.