With heroin use on the rise, rehabilitation centers from coast to coast have become filled with people that end up needing professional help to stop using it. The popularity of heroin has made it the drug of choice for people that use and experiment with drugs. Heroin has become rather easy for anyone to obtain, and the cost is very low, dollar for dollar, when compared to powdered or crack cocaine. The effects of heroin are much more desirable than cocaine, and when given a choice, most drug users will choose the heroin.

The problem with heroin is that once you start using, it's much harder to stop than any other drug. A person can innocently go from just "partying" with using a little heroin on the weekends, to a full blown addict, with all of the problems that go along with being a heroin addict, in a very short period of time. Each time the user does some, there is less satisfaction unless the dosage in increased. As the dose increases, so the chance of overdosing, and possible death. At any point, if regular use is halted, the user will go into withdrawal that is very uncomfortable, and can only be cured by taking more heroin.

Until early 2006, the only type of "out patient" treatment that seemed to work, or at least keep the user from going into withdrawal or buying street heroin, was methadone treatment. Methadone itself is a highly addictive drug. Once a user enters a methadone program, they are given a fairly large dose of liquid methadone to drink every morning. Over time, and if the user stays in the program, the doses slowly taper down, reducing any chance of withdrawal, and at one point they are done. At least that's the plan, but some people stay on methadone for years.

There is a new "out patient" treatment drug that has been approved by the FDA. The new treatment for quitting the use of heroin involves finding a doctor that is certified to dispense Suboxone or Subutex. Both of these are brand names for the actual drug known as Buprenorphine. The difference between Suboxone and Subutex, is that the Suboxone pills also have Naloxone in them, to prevent mis-use. Buprenorphine is also a Class 3 narcotic, and that's why the doctor must have a special license.

The buprenorphine is taken sublingually.The daily dose is placed under the tongue to dissolve, and the effect is that it takes away any cravings the user might have for heroin. This new method of treatment can be done at home. The doctor will write a 30 day prescription, and there is no driving to a methadone clinic every morning. This is a very convenient "out patient" method of treating heroin addiction.

This new method of helping people get off heroin, has become very popular, very fast. The reviews for this program have called it nothing short of a miracle! People everywhere in the world with heroin or narcotic pain killer addictions are finding out just how well it works. The buprenorphine will also work for people that are addicted to other narcotics as well, like Vicodin or Oxycontin.