Many narcotics are being prescribed more frequently than is absolutely necessary. Since the drugs mentioned in the Opium Law, according to legal regulations, can only be obtained by producing a medical prescription, doctors, in both general practice and hospitals, must never forget the danger inherent each time a narcotic drug is prescribed. One of the obligations of superintendents in hospitals and clinics is the supervision of the prescription of narcotic drugs by the medical staff. The treatment of drug addicts can only be carried out in closed psychiatric departments. Ambulatory treatment has proved unsuccessful.
Rapid withdrawal is the preferred method.
It lasts four to eight weeks and should invariably be followed by a rehabilitation treatment which usually lasts six months. Disintoxication and rehabilitation together form an obligatory unit of treatment. Rehabilitation need not be carried out in the same infirmary or institution as disintoxication. On completion of the disintoxication and rehabilitation treatment the patient must submit voluntarily to regular supervision over a period of about two years. During this probationary period, urine tests should be made, without warning.