Heroin use remains rare overall. However, that was more than double the rate of 1992. In 1997, the latest year for which such statistics are available, the number of addicts seeking heroin treatment in the USA surpassed the number of those seeking treatment for cocaine problems, federal officials say. In 1999, an estimated 240,000 addicts sought treatment. Methadone gives users a mild high that does not interfere with their ability to work or function.
Most users become dependent on it.
Methadone programs, which have been around since the 1970s, have had only moderate success. New treatment drugs have surfaced periodically, but they haven't been enough of an improvement over methadone to have much of an impact. The last new product, called LAAM , was released in 1993. It is similar to methadone except that it needs to be taken only once every three days. Just 5,000 recovering addicts across the nation are being treated with it.