We offer methadone maintenance to addicts not to cure them of their narcotic dependence but to transfer that dependence to a narcotic that is legal, safe if ingested properly and which prevents them from having to prostitute themselves, steal and beg to avoid withdrawal. An addict chooses methadone when he tires of the endless daily scrounging for illicit narcotics and of the consequences of always having to dodge the law. None of my methadone patients would accept abstinence as an alternative to heroin use, and even with methadone the heroin craving remains irresistible for some.
