by Miranda Combs |
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – It’s estimated at least 40,000 people in Kentucky are dealing with drug addiction. In our investigations into treatment options, we’ve found there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. According to Lexington Drug Treatment Specialist Dr. Stephen Lamb, about 10,000 people in Kentucky find help with Methadone.
Methadone is a pure opiate agonist, meaning the more you take, the more you feel. It’s more dangerous than Suboxone because overdosing is easier. “The person who is perhaps addicted to multiple substances, has lost everything, cannot be relied upon to take their medications as directed, can benefit from the structure of a Methadone clinic,” Dr. Lamb explained.
WKYT visited Behavior Health Group Lexington Treatment Center on a Friday morning. Two patients, who didn’t want to be identified told their story of addiction and what led them to Methadone for treatment. One man was there for the first time, but he’s taken Methadone before on the street. “This medicine fills that spot,” he said. “You’re always chasing a high and this place, you know it’s here. They’re not going to run out. They’re not going to raise the price on you. They aren’t going to rip you off,” he explained. He had a $100 a day habit. Now, he plans to pay $95 a week for Methadone treatment. “Pretty much just like a substitute for your drug,” he said.
But a woman we spoke to said Methadone can’t be a substitute. “If you come here just as a way to replace what you’re doing on the street, they you are just trying to trick a system,” she said. She’s been coming to BHG for three years and said it’s changed her life. “So when I hear things like, ‘Oh, it’s just a place for someone to go and get high’ it just really upsets me because I’m living proof that it helps.”
“Whether it’s through abstinence, Methadone or Suboxone, and you get that improved behavior you get a much better society,” Dr. Lamb said.
