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Peter Coleman, MD
Richmond, Va

JAMA. 1989;261(13):1879-1880.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Dr Dole¹ proposes that opiate addiction is related to a "persistent" derangement of the endogenous ligand-receptor complex system. This theory seems to have some merit but if we conclude, as Dr Dole does, that the defect is best "compensated for" by methadone we must ignore a lot of conflicting data. The facts show that even when taking methadone, a large percentage of addicts continue to abuse illegal drugs and alcohol; now that cocaine is as prevalent as it is, the situation seems to be getting worse.² In fact, most of the people who do well in methadone maintenance programs have the same demographic variables as people who do well in drug-free treatment programs.³

Fortunately, there is an effective form of treatment for many opiate addicts that seems to allow the receptor complex to normalize. It consists of a program of abstinence from all mood . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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