Compare and contrast between the structure of Thailand's Government Research Paper

Investigate between the structure of Thailand's Government and US's - Research Paper Example â€Å"Thailand is represented by an arrangement of centralization†, (Royal Thai Consulate, 2002) and they hold their Constitution as the most elevated tradition that must be adhered to. The Thai Government is separated into three principle segments, which are authoritative, Judicial and Executive forces. The Legislative force is dedicated to the Parliament, and it works through a separated National Assembly that comprises of their House of Representatives and the Senate. The individuals of Thailand choose the National Assembly. The Parliament needs to endorse the entirety of the enactment that the House of Representatives and the Senate needs to pass. On the off chance that they get Parliamentary endorsement, at that point the Parliament takes it to the King who needs to sign it under the steady gaze of it can become law (Chaninat and Leeds, 2011). Thailand’s Judicial Power works through the Court of Law with three distinct levels, which are: the Court of First Instance , the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. The Court of First Instance manages adolescent and family issues, yet they have the power to attempt criminal cases also which are in the general courts, which are: Civil, Criminal, Provincial and Kwaeng Courts. Common Courts are for property issues; Criminal Courts are for individuals that have been captured for a wrongdoing they may have carried out; Provincial Courts are for all broad common and criminal issues that occur in their own area, and; Kwaeng Courts are for uncommon criminal cases. The Court of Appeal handles the entirety of the interests bodies of evidence that precede them against a judgment that has just been made in the Civil and Criminal Courts. The Supreme Court is the last court of advance for the entirety of the law cases in the whole Kingdom (The Judiciary of Thailand, 2011). At long last, Thailand’s Executive force works through the Cabinet, which the Prime Minister controls. The Prime Minister has a Council of Ministers, which control 15 distinct services. Those services are: Office of the Prime Minister Ministry of Finance Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Defense Ministry of Agriculture and Co-agents Ministry of Education Ministry of Transport and Communications Ministry of Commerce Ministry of Public Health Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment Ministry of University Affairs Ministry of Justice Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare Ministry of Industry Ministry of the Interior This whole framework is kept in Thailand, yet it is isolated into various local and commonplace governments. Bangkok has its own managerial individuals and chooses its own senator. Different areas of Thailand have their governors designated for them (The Judiciary of Thailand, 2011). The United States of America is a popularity based kind of government, as of now headed by President Barack Obama, who has the most elevated political intensity of the individuals of the United States. They have on e Constitution, and The President has a second in order to him, which is the Vice President of the United States. There are three parts of the U.S. government, which do their own capacities and have their own forces. The three branches are Legislative, Judicial and Executive. The Legislative part of the U.S. government is the piece of the law that makes up the Senate, the House of Representatives and others that help the Congress. On the off chance that the Senate and the Congress need a bill passed, they must have it marked by the President once they have affirmed

Bless Me Ultima Essay

Favor Me, Ultima, By Rudolfo Anaya is a moving tale about a kid who is the last any desire for his family and must settle on a culture and his own destiny. All through the book perusers perceives suggestions to the Bible yet chiefly to the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is a union of three standards, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Antonio has three religions that impact him and each are suggested the Trinity. The Father speaks to the Catholic religion and God, likewise the confidence he looks like. The Golden Carp suggests the Son, and his direction of good and bad and Antonio’s ethical quality. The Holy Spirit is spoken to by Ultima and old curandera that takes after knowledge. By examination of the book Bless Me Ultima, Anya utilizes the inference of the Holy Trinity to presume that through insight, confidence, and ethical quality a contention can be accommodated. All through the content, Rudolfo Anaya utilizes the reference of the Holy Spirit represents that when one just depends on shrewdness a contention can't be settled. This end is affirmed when Tenorio has accused Ultima; who takes after insight and the Holy Spirit, for the loss of his kid. It isn't rumor,† Narciso argued, â€Å"he has accumulated his comrades around him at the bar, he has filled them with bourbon throughout the day, and he has persuaded them to consume a witch! They please a witchhunt! † (Pg 128). The citizen’s dread of Ultima shows that he is utilizing the mention of the Holy Spirit and when Antonio just depends on one piece of his Holy Trinity he neglects to focus on settling his contention. At that point he before long gets himself and his family at serious risk. Antonio again just relies upon the astuteness Ultima supplies him, and afterward he understands an inward clash he has made in the wake of seeing a battle among Narciso and Andrew. Had I previously lost my honesty? How? I had seen Lupito murdered†¦ I had seen Ultima’s cure†¦ I had seen the men come to hang her†¦ I had seen the horrendous battle just now†¦ I had seen and delighted in the excellence of the brilliant carp! Goodness God! My spirit moaned and I believed that it would blast and I would kick the bucket crouched against the insidious house. How had I trespassed? (Pg 165). Proposing that Antonio has just inclined toward Ultima he winds up in a quandary inside his societies in that he has been isolating his societies as opposed to making closeness between them. By just trusting in part of the Holy Trinity one needs to experience a social battle without it being accommodated. Various occasions in the content Anaya utilizes the suggestion of the Father in the Holy Trinity to clarify that when one just spotlights on trust a social clash won't be redressed. For instance, during one of Antonio’s dreams, he deciphers God as a kind of underhandedness figure. â€Å"You stupid kid, God thundered, don’t you see you are trapped in your own snare! You would have a God who pardons all, yet with regards to your own impulses you look for discipline for your vengeance†¦ Vengeance is Mine! He yelled, not by any means your brilliant carp would surrender that power as a godâ€Å"(Pg 173). The way that God is represented as an awful character in his fantasy unmistakably Anaya is utilizing inference inside the Holy Trinity in that it isn't sufficient to just partake in one segment and may bring about questions like Antonio’s. Likewise, after the demise of Narciso, Antonio returns back to class and has numerous things going through his head. â€Å"I pondered God and why he let such things happen†¦ Perhaps, I thought, God had not seen the homicide occur, and that’s is the reason He had not rebuffed Tenorio. Maybe God was excessively occupied in paradise to stress or care over us†(Pg 186-187). The creator utilizes the sentiment of uncertainty in confidence to show that when Antonio manages the confidence in his life he finishes with disappointment. This happens in light of the fact that Anaya utilizes inference inside the Holy Trinity to propose that in the event that you just respect the Father and the confidence where he speaks to one’s social clash won't stop. As Anaya utilizes the reference of the Son in the Holy Trinity it is obvious that solitary limiting in profound quality closes to a social clash. Perusers experience this contention on various occasions all through the content. One explicit occasion is when Cico and Antonio are having a discussion about the Golden Carp and how Antonio might want to see the fish. â€Å"We have never taken a non-devotee to see him,† he said seriously. â€Å"But I need to accept, â€Å" I gazed upward and argued, â€Å"it’s simply that I need to have confidence in Him? † (Pg 107). The creator implies the way of life of the Golden Carp to take after the Son in the Holy Trinity; one sees here that when Antonio repudiates his religion and just spotlights on his ethics. Likewise when Antonio says â€Å"Its simply that I need to put stock in Him? † unmistakably confidence and knowledge are not being considered in his choices and therefore, cause strife. Antonio’s ethics rise and fall all through the book as indicated by his three societies and the three sections in his Holy Trinity. At the point when he just depends on ethical quality we find that he is lost inside himself. While Antonio is with Cico and they are trusting that the Golden Carp will show one of Antonio’s companions, Florence, bites the dust in the water. Soon thereafter he has a fantasy where all that he had lived for is currently being murdered around him. â€Å"Look! He highlighted the stream where Cico lay in sit tight for the brilliant carp. At the point when the brilliant carp showed up Cico hit with his lance and the water ran blood red† (Pg 244). Through the inference of the Son this entry and the likeness of the Golden Carp being slaughtered shows that on the off chance that one is excessively solid in one area of the Holy Trinity it is nothing more than trouble. When Cico murders the Golden Carp it reasons that Antonio can't oblige his three societies by keeping them independent and not consolidated. It is obvious that the most insufficient approach to accommodate a social clash is just suggesting one of the three constituents of the Holy Trinity. By intently looking at Anaya’s use in inference, unmistakably the best method to deal with social clashes is to put stock in profound quality, insight, and confidence. Antonio’s strife is a consequence of not brushing the three pieces of the Holy Trinity. While he is in chapel he is tuning in to the minister talk. â€Å"How numerous people are there in one God? † he proceeded. â€Å"Three. The Father, the child, and the Holy Ghost† (Pg 199). The creator decides to actually say that a God can't work without the three fundamental segments. This shows likeness in Antonio’s life when he attempts to keep Catholicism, The Golden Carp, and Ultima every single separate piece. He questions in the event that he can join or make goals for his contention however delays to make a move. â€Å"Does one need to pick? † I inquired. â€Å"Is it conceivable to have both? †(Pg 238). This shows Antonio perceives his concern and begins to associate with every one of the three pieces of the Trinity, wishing they could all are one, and not understanding he has the ability to do as such. Through the intensity of the Holy Trinity, (God, The Golden Carp, and Ultima) Antonio arrives at the resolution to accommodate his social battles. â€Å"‘Take the llano and the stream valley, the moon and the ocean, God, and the brilliant carp-and make something new, I said to myself. That is what Ultima implied by building quality from life†¦ Papa, I asked, Can another religion be made? †(Pg. 247). Anaya endeavors to move the peruser by delineating that inside harmony one can join their societies and make another one. To close in Antonio’s battle inside himself it is unavoidable that one can conquer a social fight by dependence of confidence, knowledge, and ethical quality. The Holy Trinity doesn't work if all parts aren’t associated. In Antonio’s life, the main way he would become effective it to join and control his three societies into one, failing to let one over force the other. In Bless Me, Ultima; one can see a reoccurrence of likeness to the Trinity and numerous other Bible references. Rudolfo Anaya recommends that one has the ability to do anything with knowledge, confidence, and ethical quality in his or hers heart.

Social Facilitation Explained

Social Facilitation Explained Whether you have or haven’t heard of a term “Social Facilitation”, once we explain it to you, you will recognize it in some of your personal examples, as it is a social situation we all have been in.How Social Facilitation is best explained? To understand it completely, you must know for the starters that this theory proves that human’s motivation doesn’t depend only on their own beliefs and capabilities, yet it is more complex.Social Facilitation theory proves that our performance is under a higher or lower influence coming from the presence of other people whilst performing the given task.We’ll get to the root of this theory, as well as the importance of it.By the end of the text, you will be able not only to understand the concept of social facilitation but also to understand how you can apply it in your work.So gather around with your friends or colleagues and dig into reading!WHAT IS SOCIAL FACILITATION?The definition of the Social facilitation says that it is a conc ept that confirms the idea that the mere presence of other people can directly influence individual performance in terms of improving it.The further explanation says that there are actually two types of social facilitation.The first concept refers to working individually alongside with other people. This one is professionally called “Co-action effect”. The Co-action effect influences individuals to feel competitive and perform the tasks more efficiently if put in a common working space.The idea of competing with others pushes people to perform better and faster, with the aim of winning. Even though there isnt an actual competition, this is enough for people to feel success.The other form of social facilitation refers to working individually but in the presence of somebody who is overlooking the job or just taking a passive role in the working place.This type is professionally called the Audience effect.To best understand this, you can imagine working whilst constantly being over looked by your boss. How did this make you feel?It might surprise you that there would be different answers to this question.Some of you would feel proud and go the extra mile to show your boss who actually is the boss.Others would feel anxious, insecure and mostly uncomfortable. Where does this difference come from?The difference the social facilitation effect can have on us comes from ourselves and our beliefs about our own capabilities.Well get to the depth of both these concepts but before that lets not spoil everything yet.THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL FACILITATION THEORYLets go back to the beginning and the root of this theory. It is interesting to know that this theory goes back to 1898, when the studies on this subject first began.Later there were more scientists through history that studied social facilitation and they all had an impact on todays understanding of the phenomenon.1. Norman Triplett (1898)As mentioned previously, 1898 was the year when studies on social facilitation t heory began, and Mr. Norman Triplett was the first one who conducted the experiments.For his first experiment, Norman Triplett chose cyclists and decided to measure their cycling time in different conditions.For the first condition, they let them race individually, competing only against themselves or put more concrete â€" the timer. In the second condition, each cyclist was brought together and supposed to race not only against themselves (clock) but also against each other.The results of the experiment proved that the cyclists race time was significantly better when they were competing against each other.This was only the beginning as Norman Triplett decided to do this experiment once again, this time in the laboratory. It is important to mention that this is the first ever experiment on the social facilitation conducted in the laboratory conditions.This time, the scientist chose children and fishing reels. Similar to the first experiment, there were two conditions. In first, a ch ild alone was supposed to wind in a given amount of fishing line, competing only against the clock.For the second condition, children were organized in pairs and given the same task. Although they were working individually on those tasks, they performed much better compared to working alone.The results of this experiment proved once again the influence presence of others can have on individual performance and thus the Social Facilitation Theory was created.2. Floyd Allport (1924)As mentioned before, there were many scientists throughout the history that studied social facilitation. However, in this period, social facilitation had a bit different form.For the starters, it is important to mention that it was Floyd Allport who named the term Social Facilitation.Dr. Floyd Allport conducted a series of experiments regarding social facilitation.Similar to Norman Triplett, Floyd Allport would organize experiments in two stages: first one where people would perform alone and the second one where they would find themselves surrounded by other people.The results of these experiments in majority proved the improvement of performance when people were organized in groups. In that period, social facilitation was understood as the consequence of the sight or sound of others making the same movement” and all of the results spoken in favor of it. 3. Robert Zajonc (1956)Whenever you try to search the Internet or some library on the topic of social facilitation, it is inevitable not to come on to this name.For many who do not know, Robert Zajonc was the one who proved that our own beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities will determine whether the effect of social facilitation will have a positive or a negative impact on us.The difference between his and Normans and Floyds experiments was in the given task. There were still 2 stages in the experiment, but for the second one people were divided into two groups.The first group had a simple task to perform. In the situation w here they were observed by others, they had no difficulties in performing. On the contrary, they felt confident and managed to go the extra mile, with the obvious increase in their performance.On the other hand, the second group had a more difficult and complex task. Besides being complex, the task was also unfamiliar to the people participating in the experiment, leaving them completely unprepared for the situation.In this group, the results were completely different. The fact that they were observed and monitored by others led to them underperforming. The conclusion was obvious. People who felt unconfident and incapable of completing the task failed it, or at least ended up with worse results than in the previous phase.It has been explained by the fact that in the situations where we are being overlooked while feeling insecure, we have more tendency to make mistakes and represent ourselves as bad workers.This conclusion will change the way we look at the social facilitation foreve r and will help managers understand the motivation of their employees on a much higher level.Robert Zajonc wasnt the last scientist who dedicated himself to the research of Social facilitation but is the last one important to mention in order to understand the theory itself.The theory has developed a bit more throughout the time and the biggest thanks to that go to all the scientists who kept on performing the experiments which result continued to prove the importance of understanding the social facilitation.THE SOCIAL FACILITATION SUB-THEORIESWith many different scientists and approaches come different opinions, which then lead to forming different sub-theories.We will cover the crucial ones that will help you understand social facilitation better and find the most fitting one for your business.1. Activation Theory and Alertness HypothesisActivation theory and alertness hypothesis were introduced by no one but dr. Robert Zajonc himself and are only professional terms for the condit ions that we have previously explained.To become clearer, activation theory claims that people feel arousal when in the presence of other people and thus feel a higher drive to perform better.On the contrary, if the task they actually have to perform is complex and difficult, they will find themselves in a state of alertness, which would lead to underperforming.Both activation theory and alertness hypothesis were proved by several experiments and set a revolutionary tone to the social facilitation theory.2. Evaluation ApproachIn 1968, Henchy and Glass explained how the awareness of the fact that we are being overlooked and evaluated by other people in our presence is what influences our performance.The fear of evaluation is mostly present in situations where we are being observed by our bosses and usually has a high impact on our performance.3. Distraction-Conflict HypothesisRobert Barron gave his best to explain to society how the presence of other people can negatively influence t he performance, as many things may come as a distraction to the job.Imagine having a difficult and complex task to finish that demands your full concentration, but people who are observing you are moving or talking, producing noise and other kinds of distraction.Not a very good environment for anyone to work in. even when it comes to simpler tasks. The presence of other people can be a huge distraction and therefore influence the performance negatively.4. Overload HypothesisThe overload hypothesis is quite similar to the distraction-conflict hypothesis.In fact, it was built on it and represents the developed version of the distraction-conflict hypothesis.To explain it further, this hypothesis claims that distraction coming from our environment lead to overloading our brains with the information.Similar to the distraction-conflict hypothesis, the overload hypothesis explains how bad the influence on our performance may be.But on the contrary, this hypothesis claims that the distracti ons coming from the environment have no influence on our performance if there is a simple task in front of us. It actually helps us focus on what is important.5. Feedback-Loop ModelThis is the theory that claims that in situations where being observed, people come more aware of themselves and their performance, making it the biggest and most important focus at that moment. All human beings have a desire of receiving positive feedback.Therefore, when found in a situation where they are being evaluated, people tend to push themselves and perform better than usual, all with the aim of getting positive feedback.This could be widely used in order to boost peoples performance and also help them realize that they are capable of performing in a better way.6. Capacity ModelIt was in 1977 when Shiffrin and Schneider presented the two-process theory of information processing. The capacity model leans itself on overload hypothesis but brings a further explanation of this phenomenon.Shiffrin and Schneider explained the fact that when completing the difficult tasks our minds use cognitive processing. On the other hand, when completing the simple tasks our minds use automatic processing.If a person is given a simple task, the automatic processing catches the full attention and therefore results in improved performance.If a person is given a difficult task, it is a task for a persons cognitive processing, which requires undivided attention. In these situations, any form of destruction can influence negatively the performance.As mentioned before, there are even more hypothesis and sub-theories.All of them have their role in todays implementation of the social facilitation and we encourage you to research the topic even more.However, those that we have covered will be more than enough to understand the concept of social facilitation and implement it successfully.It is also interesting to mention that there are theories that directly opposite Social facilitation theory, such as Social loafing theory.However, social loafing theory stayed the less used one ever since.UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL FACILITATIONThere are many positive aspects of understanding the concept of social facilitation and actually implementing it in your working place.Top managers often emphasize how the social facilitation theory helped them understand their employees and provide them with the best environment for them, helping them achieve their full potential.The biggest benefit of understanding social facilitation is definitely the fact that motivation starts to be seen in a different light.If you are like most people, you probably find the motivation as something that mostly depends on you and your feelings.When you apply that to business, you have a strong belief that the performance of an employee depends completely on their motivation to perform extraordinarily. And that motivation is entirely up to them.However, the social facilitation theory proves something complete ly different.Take for an example an average employee.Thanks to whats widely known in our society, the first assumption would be that employee has no motivation to perform better. In some of the cases, this will be true.In others, the situation might be much more complex. Now imagine that the same employee had a bad previous experience in this industry and was perceived as someone who isn’t good at this job. For many humans, that would be enough to start feeling the same about themselves.If an employee with that kind of beliefs is set in an environment where others are doing their best at the job, the employee will start underperforming due to the pressure coming from the presence of others and the competition that unconsciously exists. With this kind of knowledge, you would treat your employee differently, wouldnt you?Instead of automatically assuming that he or she cannot develop since they lack the motivation, you can set them in a different environment or if possible enable the m to work temporarily on their own until they gain confidence.Whichever solution you choose, you will help the employee, which will help you and your company.Meaning that this would be a win-win situation you wouldn’t be able to recognize and seize if it weren’t for the social facilitation theory.And the things you could do with the social facilitation do not end here.Now that you know how to get the best out of your employees that lack confidence, imagine what you could do and how much you could help the confident ones, giving them an opportunity to prove themselves in front of the others.Let’s take this story as an example.They say that the biggest fear in the world is the fear of public speaking. It is even bigger than the fear of death.Somehow and luckily for most of us, there are people who simply enjoy standing up and talking passionately in front of others.When we mention these people, there must at least one person you have in your mind right now. Imagine now, if you g ave this person regularly an opportunity to present something in front of the large group of people.Can you imagine how motivated he or she would be to perform this task? To go an extra mile? To perform better than anyone could imagine?That is how motivated your employees could be constantly if the working environment and conditions suit them.Of course, you cant deny the effect of internal motivation.But if you are a top manager, project manager, team leader or in any position to influence the working culture and opportunities, you should definitely consider applying social facilitation in your business.Because if the external environment is so good that gets the best out of the people, the internal motivation will grow by itself, as they will find themselves suitable for the job they are doing and start developing passion towards it.HOW TO USE SOCIAL FACILITATION IN YOUR COMPANYNow that you completely understand the social facilitation and its benefits, it is a time to start implem enting it.The first thing in the process would be to actually get to know each of your employees really good.In the process of recruitment, you may have given them personality tests to complete.Whether you have or you havent, it would be beneficial to assign it even once again to your employees, as they must have changed during the period they were working in the company.You can use different personality tests, such as Myers Briggs, Big Five, Occupational Interest Inventories, DISC Behavior Inventory or Situational Judgment Tests.They should all help you with understanding the behavior of your employees at the working place, as well as their needs.Understand the differences between these tests and choose the one (or more) you find the most fitting to your company.Whichever you choose, you won’t make a mistake.After you get the results and understand better your employee’s needs, it is time to start implementing the social facilitation theory.The solutions are quite easy, as all you have to do is organize the tasks in order to match them and people that will perform them accordingly to their competences and the environment the task itself requires.Even if some tasks do not require working alone or in a group, try to still organize those kinds of environments if the people who are completing the tasks perform better in such a climate.The key to getting the best out of the social facilitation is to adjust the environment to the employee that you have given the task that matches their capabilities.If you focus on this principle, there is no way to make a mistake.Everything starts and ends with your employees so make sure you dedicate yourself to them and their needs completely.FINAL WORDWhether you have been familiar with the social facilitation before or not, now it should be clear to you why it is so important.If you are having troubles with your employees, performance or productivity in general, this could be the simple (and the only one) solution you would need.Whenever you start doubting somebodys motivation, just remember that it is not always the internal one that makes the problem.If you are in a situation to influence the external environment and create external information, seize the opportunity and do it.It will help people around you improve and reach their full potential, and by improving the others, you are improving yourself.Everything material (results, profit etc.) has ground on only one thing â€" people.So use the benefits of this psychological theory and help your people become the best version of themselves!

What You Should Know About Kants Ethics in a Nutshell

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is generally considered to be one of the most profound and original philosophers who ever lived. He is equally well known for his metaphysics–the subject of his Critique of Pure Reason—and for the moral philosophy set out in his Groundwork to the Metaphysics of Morals and Critique of Practical Reason (although Groundwork is the far easier of the two to understand). A Problem for the Enlightenment To understand Kant’s moral philosophy, its crucial to be familiar with the issues that he, and other thinkers of his time, were dealing with. From the earliest recorded history, people’s moral beliefs and practices were grounded in religion. Scriptures, such as the bible and the Quran, laid out moral rules that believers thought to be handed down from God: Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Don’t commit adultery, and so on. The fact that these rules supposedly came from a divine source of wisdom gave them their authority. They were not simply somebody’s arbitrary opinion, they were Gods opinion, and as such, they offered humankind an objectively valid code of conduct. Moreover, everyone had an incentive to obey these codes.  If you â€Å"walked in the ways of the Lord,† you would be rewarded, either in this life or the next. If you violated the commandments, youd be punished. As a result, any sensible person brought up in such a faith would abide by the moral rules their religion taught. With the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries that led to the great cultural movement known as the Enlightenment, these previously accepted religious doctrines were increasingly challenged as faith in God, scripture, and organized religion began to decline among the intelligentsia—that is, the educated elite. Nietzsche famously described this shift away from organized religion as â€Å"the death of God.† This new way of thinking created a problem for moral philosophers: If religion wasn’t the foundation that gave moral beliefs their validity, what other foundation could there be? If there is no God—and therefore no guarantee of cosmic justice ensuring that the good guys will be rewarded and the bad guys will be punished—why should anyone bother trying to be good? Scottish moral philosopher Alisdair MacIntrye called this â€Å"the Enlightenment problem.† The solution moral philosophers needed to come up with was a secular (non-religious) determination of what morality was and why we should strive to be moral. Three Responses to the Enlightenment Problem Social Contract Theory—One answer to the Enlightenment Problem was pioneered by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) who argued that morality was essentially a set of rules that human beings agreed upon amongst themselves in order to make living with one another possible. If we didn’t have these rules—many of which took the form of laws enforced by the government—life would be absolutely horrific for everyone.Utilitarianism—Utilitarianism, another attempt to give morality a non-religious foundation, was pioneered by thinkers including David Hume (1711-1776) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1742). Utilitarianism holds that pleasure and happiness have intrinsic value. They are what we all want and are the ultimate goals that all our actions aim toward.  Something is good if it promotes happiness, and it is bad if it produces suffering. Our basic duty is to try to do things that add to the amount of happiness and/or reduce the amount of misery in th e world.  Kantian Ethics—Kant had no time for Utilitarianism.  He believed in placing the emphasis on happiness the theory completely misunderstood the true nature of morality.  In his view, the basis for our sense of what is good or bad, right or wrong, is our awareness that human beings are free, rational agents who should be given the respect appropriate to such beings—but what exactly does that entail? The Problem With Utilitarianism In Kant’s view, the basic problem with utilitarianism is that it judges actions by their consequences.  If your action makes people happy, it’s good; if it does the reverse, it’s bad.  But is this actually contrary to what we might call moral common sense?  Consider this question:  Who is the better person, the millionaire who gives $1,000 to charity in order to score points with his Twitter following or the minimum-wage worker who donates a day’s pay to charity because she thinks its her duty to help the needy? If consequences are all that matter, then the millionaire’s action is technically the better  one. But that’s not how the majority of people would see the situation.  Most of us judge actions more for their motivation than by their consequences.  The reason is obvious: the consequences of our actions are often out of our control, just as the ball is out of the pitcher’s control once its left his hand.  I could save a life at the risk of my own, and the person I save could turn out to be a serial killer.  Or I could accidentally kill someone in the course of robbing them, and in doing so might unwittingly save the world from a terrible tyrant. The Good Will Kant’s Groundwork opens with the line: â€Å"The only thing that is unconditionally good is a good will.† Kant’s argument for this belief is quite plausible. Consider anything you think of in terms of being good—health, wealth, beauty, intelligence, and so on. For each of these things, you can also likely imagine a situation in which this so-called good thing is not good after all. For instance, a person can be corrupted by their wealth. The robust health of a bully makes it easier for him to abuse his victims. A person’s beauty may lead her to become vain and fail to develop emotional maturity. Even happiness is not good if it is the happiness of a sadist torturing unwilling victims. By contrast, goodwill, says Kant, is always good—in all circumstances. What, exactly, does Kant mean by goodwill? The answer is fairly simple. A person acts out of goodwill when they do what they do because they think it is their duty—when they act from a sense of moral obligation. Duty vs. Inclination Obviously, we don’t perform every little action from a sense of obligation. Much of the time, were simply following our inclinations—or acting out of self-interest. Theres nothing intrinsically wrong with that, however, no one deserves credit for pursuing their own interests. It comes naturally to us, just as it comes naturally to every animal. What is remarkable about human beings, though, is that we can, and sometimes do, perform an action from purely moral motives—for example, when a soldier throws himself on a grenade, sacrificing his own life to save the lives of others. Or less dramatically, I pay back a friendly loan as promised even though payday isnt for another week and doing so will leave me temporarily short of cash. In Kant’s view, when a person freely chooses to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do, their action adds value to the world and lights it up, so to speak, with a brief glow of moral goodness. Knowing Your Duty Saying that people should do their duty from a sense of duty is easy—but how are we supposed to know what our duty is? Sometimes we may find ourselves facing moral dilemmas in which its not obvious which course of action is morally correct. According to Kant, however, in most situations are duty is obvious. If were uncertain, we can work out the answer by reflecting on a general principle that Kant calls the â€Å"Categorical Imperative.† This, he claims, is the fundamental principle of morality and all other rules and precepts can be deduced from it. Kant offers several different versions of this categorical imperative. One runs as follows: â€Å"Act only on that maxim that you can will as a universal law.† What this means, basically, is that we should only ask ourselves, How would it be if everyone acted the way I’m acting? Could I sincerely and consistently wish for a world in which everyone behaved this way? According to Kant, if our action is morally wrong, the answers to those questions would be no. For instance, suppose I’m thinking of breaking a promise. Could I wish for a world in which everyone broke their promises when keeping them was inconvenient? Kant argues that I could not want this, not least because in such a world no one would make promises since everyone would know that a promise meant nothing. The Ends Principle Another version of the Categorical Imperative that Kant offers states that one should â€Å"always treat people as ends in themselves, never merely as a means to one’s own ends. This is commonly referred to as the â€Å"ends principle.† While similar in a way to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, it puts the onus for following the rule on humankind rather than accepting the strictures of divine influence. The key to Kant’s belief regarding what makes humans moral beings is the fact that we are free and rational creatures. To treat someone as a means to your own ends or purposes is to not respect this fact about them. For instance, if I get you to agree to do something by making a false promise, I am manipulating you. Your decision to help me is based on false information (the idea that I’m going to keep my promise). In this way, I have undermined your rationality. This is even more obvious if I steal from you or kidnap you in order to claim a ransom. Treating someone as an end, by contrast, involves always respecting the fact that they are capable of free rational choices which may be  different from the choices you wish them to make. So if I want you to do something, the only moral course of action is to explain the situation, explain what I want, and let you make your own decision. Kant’s Concept of Enlightenment In his famous essay â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† Kant defines the principle as â€Å"man’s emancipation from his self-imposed immaturity.† What does this mean, and what does it have to do with his ethics? The answers go back to the problem of religion no longer providing a satisfactory foundation for morality. What Kant calls humanity’s â€Å"immaturity† is the period when people did not truly think for themselves, and instead, typically accepted moral rules handed down to them by religion, tradition, or by authorities such as the church, overlord, or king. This loss of faith in previously recognized authority was viewed by many as a spiritual crisis for Western civilization. If â€Å"God is dead, how do we know what is true and what is right? Kant’s answer was that people simply had to work those things out for themselves. It wasnt something to lament, but  ultimately, something to celebrate. For Kant, morality was not a matter of subjective whim set forth in the name of god or religion or law based on the principles ordained by the earthly spokespeople of those gods. Kant believed that â€Å"the moral law†Ã¢â‚¬â€the categorical imperative and everything it implies—was something that could only be discovered through reason. It was not something imposed on us from without. Instead, its a law that we, as rational beings, must impose on ourselves. This is why some of our deepest feelings are reflected in our reverence for the moral law, and why, when we act as we do out of respect for it—in other words, from a sense of duty—we fulfill ourselves as rational beings.

The Psychological Disorder Of John Nash - 1782 Words

1. The psychological disorder portrayed in character of John Nash in the film A Beautiful Mind is schizophrenia. The most prominent symptoms were hallucinations, grandiose delusions, paranoia, a persecutory complex. Beginning with DSM-V, two or more symptoms from the list of schizophrenic criteria must be present for at least six months and active for at least one month. John Nash certainly qualifies for another DSM-V criterion of diagnosis, social/occupational dysfunction, due to his apparent abandonment of relevant mathematical work in favor of conspiracy analysis/obsession. Nash is given the official diagnosis of schizophrenia during his admission to the mental hospital. 2.The most highly visible aspects of Nash’s condition are of course his elaborate delusions and hallucinations (creating friends and relationships that don’t in fact exist) and his paranoia (for example, his belief that the hospital is run by the Soviets). DSM-V lists negative symptoms--alogia, anhedonia and avolition--that we don’t see in the film. When Nash is medicated and flailing in his life--unable to focus on his work and unable to respond to his crying child--he asks his wife, â€Å"What do people do?† It’s then that we see the most mood disorder-related aspects: avolition, defined as a lack of will and self-direction, and anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure. Alogia may be indicated when Alicia says to Nash on their picnic date by the lake, â€Å"You don’t talk much, do you?† and Nash responds,Show MoreRelatedMental Health : A Psychological Disorder922 Words   |  4 Pageswhich many individuals quietly struggle wit h in their daily lives. Psychological disorders, although extremely common, are often misunderstood by those who are not educated on the subject, even those who may be suffering from a mental disorder themselves. According to the 13th edition of the textbook Abnormal Psychology (Kring et al., 2015), a psychological disorder is defined as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that impact a person s life. This definitionRead MoreA Beautiful Mind Is Based On The Life Of The Prize Winner John Nash1192 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract â€Å"Psychological disorders: are any pattern of behavior or thinking that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm others, or harms their ability to function in daily life† according to Ciccarelli White (2015). The American film A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of the 1994 Nobel Prize winner John Nash. This biographical film describes the life of the mathematician through all the stages of his life, starting when he was a college student at the University of PrincetonRead MoreA Beautiful Mind Review - Psychological Issues1523 Words   |  7 Pages Psychological Issue: Schizophrenia 1) Using material from the text (or internet resources), describe your understanding of the disorder portrayed in the film. [This asks you to describe what someone with this disorder might really look like.] In the movie â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† directed by Ron Howard; the disorder that is portrayed by the character John Nash is schizophrenia. This brain disorder alters the normal mechanisms occurring in the brain. The best explanation for this disorder canRead MoreThe Movie O F. A Beautiful Mind1000 Words   |  4 Pages The film o f A Beautiful Mind is a dramatization of the life of John Forbes Nash; that was released in 2001. The character of Mr. Nash is portrayed by the actor Russell Crowe, and the film was directed by Ron Howard. The movie is based on the true story of a brilliant mathematics student from West Virginia who won a distinguished scholarship to attend Princeton University. The film begins in n September of 1947, when he began to attend the University of Princeton; where he studied mathematics andRead MoreMental Disorders And Illness Of Dr. John Nash1482 Words   |  6 PagesMental disorders and illness, are often portrayed by actors in both film or television. Depending on the nature of the show, the importance of the illness to the story, and the individual research conducted by the authors; the portrayal may either be accurate or far from it. The importance of accurate portrayal of mental disease in media, is that it is through these mediums that many of the populous receive infor mation (perhaps for the first time) about many disorders that affect others. The conceptRead MorePsychological Disorders And The Movie A Beautiful Mind Essay1477 Words   |  6 Pagesessay is that psychological disorders need to be understood independently of various factors such as biological and environmental factors. This is because the world of psychology has always tried to attach the above factors to various psychological disorders but I strongly feel that psychological disorders need to be understood and analyzed independently so as a true and deeper understanding of these disorders comes to the fore. The movie A Beautiful Mind is about a genius mathematician Nash who has aRead MoreA Beautiful Mind1467 Words   |  6 Pagesperspective on psychological disorders. When people generally hear the words â€Å"mental illness,† the thoughts of crazy, insane, different, abnormal and weird come into place. â€Å"A Beautiful Mind,† based on a true story and a novel by S ylvia Nasar, has proven the standard thoughts to be inaccurate. John Nash was a man of extraordinary character. He held a position of great intelligence and had proven it to be true when he was awarded with the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics. Nash was also faced withRead MoreIs Art A Mirror On Society?1559 Words   |  7 Pagesfeeling and what it is dealing with. As an art form this is true of film as well. Throughout history there have been iconic movies that illustrate a number of psychological issues. From depression to retrograde amnesia and obsessive compulsive disorder. The movies are a pretty good place to start when one is looking for psychological disorders in art. For this reason they are a great place to start when one is looking for the public’s perception of mental illnesses. Of course the producers of theRead MoreSchizophrenia Paranoid Personality Disorder ‚Äà ºa Beautiful Mind‚Äà ¹1034 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: TWO PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS FROM THE MOVIE â€Å"A BEAUTIFUL MIND†: SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PARANOID PERSONALITY DISORDER Two Psychological Disorders from the Movie â€Å"A Beautiful Mind†: Schizophrenia and Paranoid Personality Disorder Your Name Your School Name, State (Country) â€Å"A Beautiful Mind,† which is based on the novel by Sylvia Nasar, is the story about the mathematic genius called John Nash. He enters Princeton University in the 1940s to start his studies in the fields of calculusRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Schizophrenia1171 Words   |  5 Pages Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is real. Common symptoms include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, reduced social engagement and emotional expression, and lack of motivation. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the person s reported experiences. Genetics and early environment, as well as psychological and social processes, appear to be important contributory factors. Some

Methadone Maintenance Free Essays

string(81) " does not impair a person’s ability to work, drive a car or operate machinery\." Southwestern Assemblies of God University School of Distance Education Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use A Paper Presented to Professor Loyd Uglow, Ph. D In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Course THE 5113 Research Literature and Technology Sharon Pete November 28, 2012 THESIS STATEMENT: To investigate Methadone maintenance is found to be more effective in treating heroin addiction than 180 day detoxification. The objective is how methadone maintenance, a widely used but controversial method of weaning heroin addicts off the drug—with counseling has psychosocially enriched 180 day methadone assisted detoxification. We will write a custom essay sample on Methadone Maintenance or any similar topic only for you Order Now OUTLINE I. INTRODUCTION A. History of Heroin B. History of withdrawals II. How Methadone is used to treat Heroin? III. Research Findings IV. CONCLUSION V. Work Cited Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use Substitution treatment or maintenance pharmacotherapy programs using methadone are today the most sought after and effective form of treatment for opiate addiction and dependence. Because methadone is a long-acting opiate whose dosage can be stabilized, it is well suited for daily administration and has proven effective in the elimination of narcotic craving, a driving force behind continued heroin use. And, because it can be administered orally, methadone dramatically reduces heroin injecting frequency and, with it, associated risks for HIV and other blood-borne pathogens. Methadone Treatment Effectiveness The clinical effectiveness of methadone is most commonly measured by its retention of patients in care and by reductions in heroin use as well as improvements in social outcomes, for example, employment, family integration, and reduced arrests and incarceration for criminal offenses [00]. Both randomized trials and observational studies [5,48-59] have determined that methadone maintenance retains patients at levels two to four times that of other treatment modalities (in other words,75%, 12-month retention) [16], and the longer patients remain in treatment, the better the results. For example, for those in treatment more than 24 months, methadone reduces the use of heroin to levels below 15% of those in the period immediately before treatment [16]. Conversely, even among those who have greatly reduced their heroin use while in methadone treatment, over 80% relapse to heroin use when they leave treatment [13]. The most basic public-health benefit of methadone treatment can be seen in the reduction of mortality rates among Intravenous Drug Users, who remain in treatment, observed in randomized clinical trials [11], and later follow-up [18]. History of Heroin Heroin has been around for a long time, and is currently grown around the world, with most of the largest supply coming from the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. The drug had been a problem in the United States for decades, causing the Nixon administration to actively tried to diminish supplies of heroin, when he declared a war on drugs in the 1970s. It was during this time that methadone maintenance treatments came to light, and experiments were done to measure its effectiveness. However, incomplete data recording, complex situations of treatment, and inconclusive evidence have all aided in the difference of opinions that some studies have today. Heroin Withdrawal What we do know is that heroin is a hard drug to beat. The addict’s body quickly becomes so dependent on the substance that to go without it would mean a severe withdrawal. The withdrawals can start as soon as the next day without any heroin use. Nausea, vomiting, pain, sweating, fatigue, depression and insomnia are what an addict goes through when trying to quit. But, if a patient is put on methadone when stopping the heroin, the symptoms are not nearly as bad. The patient will need to work to withdraw from the methadone, but that can often happen over weeks or months. Another thing we know is that addicts that are required to quit heroin without the use of medication are less likely to stay in treatment than those that are assisted by drugs such as methadone. Perhaps it gets to be too big of a task before them to be rid of drugs completely, but whatever the reason, more heroin users will stay in treatment if it involves using methadone or another medication. How Is Methadone Used to Treat Heroin Addiction? For more than 30 years methadone has been used to treat addiction to heroin and other opioid drugs, including morphine. Like other narcotics, heroin releases dopamine into the bloodstream which activates the brain’s pleasure receptors producing a state of high euphoria. To maintain the same level of pleasure, heroin addicts must take increasing amounts of the drug to maintain a continuous supply of opioid to brain receptors. This produces extreme swings in mood and behavior as the drug peaks and ebbs in the bloodstream. A synthetic opioid, methadone does three things that allow the cycle of heroin addiction to be broken: 1. Methadone’s effects are fast-acting and long-lasting. By maintaining a constant level of opioid in the bloodstream, methadone acts as a stabilizing influence, eliminating the frighteningly high and low swings in mood and behavior that characterize heroin addiction. 2. Taken orally, methadone blocks the high, or â€Å"rush,† associated with heroin injection, allowing addicts to â€Å"get off the needle. † 3. Methadone reduces drug cravings and suppresses narcotic withdrawal for 24 to 36 hours. This allows heroin addicts to detoxify without undergoing acute withdrawal symptoms. Administered orally and daily under a doctor’s supervision, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) reduces opiate cravings, relieves withdrawal symptoms, and produces a biochemical balance in the body. While being treated with methadone, typical street doses of heroin no longer produce a feeling of euphoria, making heroin less desirable to users. MMT is a maintenance program which means that methadone is gradually substituted for heroin in the body. While the patient will need to continue taking methadone, he is freed of the uncontrolled, compulsive and disruptive behavior caused by heroin. Administered under a physician’s care, methadone does not impair cognitive function and does not adversely affect intelligence, mental capability or employability. Methadone does not create feelings of sedation or intoxication and does not impair a person’s ability to work, drive a car or operate machinery. You read "Methadone Maintenance" in category "Essay examples" Patients are able to feel pain and emotion. When prescribed and administered under a physician’s care, studies show that long-term MMT is medically safe, allowing former heroin addicts to become normal, productive members of society. Methadone maintenance is more Effective in Reducing Heroin Use Methadone maintenance is more effective in reducing heroin use among addicts than a 180 -day detoxification program that included an array of counseling services, a UC San Francisco study has found. The objective of the study was to compare methadone maintenance, a widely used but controversial method of weaning heroin addicts off the drug—with an alternative treatment of psychosocially enriched 180 day methadone assisted detoxification. Methadone maintenance resulted in lower heroin use rates and fewer drug- related HIV risk behaviors, such as sharing needles. â€Å"Methadone maintenance is controversial,† said Sharon Hall, PhD, lead author of the study and UCSF professor in residence and vice-chair of psychiatry. [08] â€Å"People don’t like it because it is continued provision of an addicting drug. When people come on methadone maintenance, they may stay on it for several years. The idea of the study was to do a comparison to find a method that was as effective but didn’t involve indefinite treatment with an addicting drug. †[00] Methadone maintenance has been used to treat heroin addiction since 1964, Hall said. Heroin is a short- acting opiate, Hall explained, meaning it produces a high and a withdrawal effect rapidly. Methadone is a slower acting and legal, synthetic-opiate. It works by stabilizing heroin users so that they do not have a heroin -induced euphoria or suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. Those in the 180 -day detoxification program received 120 days of methadone treatment, followed by 60 days of methadone dose reduction until they were no longer taking methadone. They also received a host of drug counseling services. During the first six months, participants were required to attend two hours per week of substance abuse group therapy, one hour per week of cocaine group therapy if they were found to also be addicted to that drug, and a series of one- hour substance abuse education classes held weekly. They also attended weekly individual therapy sessions. During the last seven months of the study,participants were offered aftercare treatment that included weekly individual and group psychotherapy and liaison services with the criminal justice system, medical clinics and social service agencies. Methadone maintenance was found to retain more patients and be more effective in decreasing heroin use, though use was still high in both groups. Also, the study found that those addicted to cocaine were more likely to drop out of the 180-day program than the methadone maintenance program. I think the results came out the way they did because heroin is a very addicting drug and we need pharmacological tools at this point to fight that addiction,† Hall said. [08] â€Å"It’s not enough to just provide psychosocial services when we lose methadone. There are two ways the field could change. One is to develop more sophisticated pharmacological treatments for heroin addiction that have less addiction potential. Another thing we need to think about is developing psychosocial interventions targeting what methadone patients need like legal and vocational services. Hall added that one of the reasons the counseling services offered as part of the 180- day detoxification program did not lower heroin use might be because they were too general. Dr. Hall points out that the study points out is that a long time ago methadone maintenance clinics had many more services than they do now. She also said. â€Å"And perhaps that’s one of the reasons the 180 day detoxification didn’t work. The services were limited in scope and they didn’t have legal or vocational services or family therapy. Many methadone programs have lost funding for these types of services and we have yet to see what a methadone program looks like that has them. † Methadone Treatment Facilities Many drug treatment facilities have built their programs around these pieces of information. By using medications such as methadone, physicians are able to ease the withdrawal symptoms and to keep the addict in treatment. Facilities may not be able to come up with statistics that say their patients have completed their program and are clean and drug-free, but that they are heroin-free. According to many, this is a better alternative. Many facilities work to help their patients become responsible members of society, by keeping a job or taking care of their family, something heroin addicts find almost impossible. For those patients that require the use of methadone to achieve those goals, the benefit of living a normal life is worth it. Question 1: Is methadone maintenance treatment effective for opioid addiction? Answer: Yes. Research has demonstrated that methadone maintenance treatment is an effective treatment for heroin and prescription narcotic addiction when measured by Reduction in the use of illicit drugs Reduction in criminal activity Reduction in needle sharing Reduction in HIV infection rates and transmission Cost-effectiveness Reduction in commercial sex work Reduction in the number of reports of multiple sex partners Improvements in social health and productivity Improvements in health conditions Retention in addiction treatment Reduction in suicide Reduction in lethal overdose Recent meta-analyzes have supported the efficacy of methadone for the treatment of opioid dependence. These studies have demonstrated across countries and populations that methadone can be effective in improving treatment retention, criminal activity, and heroin use (09). An overview of 5 meta-analyzes and systematic reviews, summarizing results from 52 studies and 12,075 opioid-dependent participants, found that when methadone maintenance treatment was compared with methadone detoxification treatment, no treatment, different dosages of methadone, buprenorphine maintenance treatment, heroin maintenance treatment, and L-a-acetylmethadol (LAAM) maintenance treatment, methadone maintenance treatment was more effective than detoxification, no treatment, buprenorphine, LAAM, and heroin plus methadone. High doses of methadone are more effective than medium and low doses (10). Patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment exhibit reductions in illicit opioid use that are directly related to methadone dose, the amount of psychosocial counseling, and the period of time that patients stay in treatment. Patients receiving methadone doses of 80 to 100 mg have improved treatment retention and decreased illicit drug use compared with patients receiving 50mg of methadone (11). A systematic review conducted on 28 studies involving 7,900 patients has demonstrated significant reductions in HIV risk behaviors in patients receiving methadone maintenance (12). A randomized clinical trial in Bangkok, Thailand, included 240 heroin-dependent patients, all of whom had previously undergone at least 6 detoxification episodes. The patients were randomly assigned to methadone maintenance versus 45-day methadone detoxification. The study found that the methadone maintenance patients were more likely to complete 45 days of treatment, less likely to have used heroin during treatment, and less likely to have used heroin on the 45th day of treatment (13). In the Treatment Outcome Prospective Study(TOPS), methadone maintenance patients who remained in treatment for at least 3 months experienced dramatic improvements during treatment with regard to daily illicit opioid and cocaine use. These improvements persisted for 3 to 5 years following treatment, but at reduced levels (14). In a study of 933 heroin-dependent patients in methadone maintenance treatment programs, during episodes of methadone maintenance, there were (1) decreases in narcotic use, arrests, criminality, and drug dealing; (2) increases employment and marriage; and (3) diminished improvements in areas such as narcotic use, arrest, criminality, drug dealing, and employment for patients who relapsed (15). In a 2. 5-year followup study of 150 opioid-dependent patients, participation in methadone maintenance treatment resulted in a substantial improvement long several relatively independent dimensions, including medical, social, psychological, legal, and employment problems (16). A study that compared ongoing methadone maintenance with 6 months of methadone maintenance followed by detoxification demonstrated that methadone maintenance resulted in greater treatment retention (median, 438. 5 vs. 174. 0 days) and lower heroin use rates than did detoxification. Methadone maintenance therapy resulted i n a lower rate of drug-related (mean [SD] at 12 months, 2. 17 [3. 88] vs. 3. 73 [6. 86]) but not sex-related HIV risk behaviors and a lower score in legal status (mean [SD] at 12 months, 0. 5 [0. 13] vs. 0. 13 [0. 19]) (17). In Conclusion: Between 750,000 and 1 million people in the United States are addicted to heroin, a semisynthetic opioid made from the seeds of opium poppies. This highly addictive, illegal drug is converted in the brain into morphine, which binds to opioid receptors to produce a euphoric rush or heroin â€Å"high. † Repeated heroin use causes drug dependent and its removal rapidly produces unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that can last for several days to months. Users become addicts when their desire to take heroin outweighs the negative health, social, financial, and legal consequences of their drug habit. For more than 30 years, the synthetic narcotic, methadone has been used to treat heroin addiction. Methadone, a powerful pain-relieving drug, binds to the same receptors as heroin but without producing the euphoric rush. Because it lasts much longer in the body than heroin, patients trying to abstain from heroin need to take only a single daily dose of methadone to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Although patients become physically dependent on methadone, the reduction in withdrawal symptoms, together with a reduction in drug cravings, helps heroin addicts in methadone maintenance treatment programs stop using illicit drugs and lead normal lives. The minimum maintenance dose of methadone recommended in these programs,60mg/day—is derived from randomized trials that have tested the ability of different doses of methadone to wean populations of addicts off heroin. However, many clinicians report that lower doses of methadone are effective in some patients. The clinicians reports that setting a standard dose will not optimize therapy for all patients, and recommend that methadone doses be titrated on an individual basis to achieve heroin abstinence. Overall, 168 volunteers achieved heroin abstinence for at least a month, as measured by the absence of illicit opioids in their urine. The median effective daily dose of methadone taken by these successful volunteers was 69mg, but doses ranged from 1. 5 to 191. 2 mg. Of those who abstained, 16% took daily doses of more 100mg methadone, 38% remained abstinent on less than the recommended minimum daily dose, and almost half of the patients who did not achieve abstinence received more than 60mg/day of methadone. How long a patient had taken heroin and the amount taken per day did not correlate with the methadone dose associated with abstinence. However, patients who had previously been through drug detoxification treatments appeared to need higher methadone doses, as did those recently diagnosed with depression or posttraumatic stress disorder and those living in areas with lower average heroin purity. In addition, patients who were abstinent on higher doses were more likely to have stayed in treatment longer or attended a clinic where dose reductions were discouraged. Taken together, these factors predicted 40% of the variance in methadone dosage associated with heroin abstinence. The results suggest that only patients with lower methadone needs achieve abstinence in the early titration phase of treatment or at clinics that encourage use of lower doses. These results provide scientific confirmation that the dose of methadone required to achieve heroin abstinence varies greatly between patients, and indicate that effective and ineffective dose ranges overlap substantially. The researchers suggest that clinicians should be allowed some flexibility in determining methadone dosing and call for research into the most effective way to determine the optimal dose for a particular patient. For now, they suggest, given that patients attending clinics that routinely give at least the recommended minimum dose of methadone do better on average than those attending clinics where lower doses are often given 60mg/day should be the benchmark for dose titration, which should occur early during treatment. However, patients who had previously been through drug detoxification treatments appeared to need higher methadone doses, as did those recently diagnosed with depression or posttraumatic stress disorder and those living in areas with lower average heroin purity. In addition, patients who were abstinent on higher doses were more likely to have stayed in treatment longer or attended a clinic where dose reductions were discouraged. Taken together, these factors predicted 40% of the variance in methadone dosage associated with heroin abstinence. The results suggest that only patients with lower methadone needs achieve abstinence in the early titration phase of treatment or at clinics that encourage use of lower doses. These results provide scientific confirmation that the dose of methadone required to achieve heroin abstinence varies greatly between patients, and indicate that effective and ineffective dose ranges overlap substantially. The researchers suggest that clinicians should be allowed some flexibility in determining methadone dosing and call for research into the most effective way to determine the optimal dose for a particular patient. For now, they suggest, given that patients attending clinics that routinely give at least the recommended minimum dose of methadone do better on average than those attending clinics where lower doses are often given 60mg/day should be the benchmark for dose titration, which should occur early during treatment. ? Notes [01] Karen Sees, DO, UCSF assistant clinical professor of psychiatry; [02] Kevin Delucchi, PhD, UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry; [03] Carmen Masson, PhD, UCSF adjunct professor of psychiatry; [04] Amy Rosen, PsyD, UCSF research coordinator; [05] H. Westley Clark, MD, MPH, on leave from position as UCSF associate clinical professor of psychiatry; Helen [06] Robillard, RN, MSN, MA, research nurse practitioner at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco; [07] Peter Banys, MD, associate clinical professor and vice chair, psychiatry at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco. [08] Sharon Hall, PhD, lead author of the study and UCSF professor in residence and vice-chair of psychiatry. [09] Marsch, 1998. [10] Amato, Davoli, Perucci, et al. 2005. [11] Simpson, 1993. [12] Metzger, Woody, McLellan, et al. , 1993. 13] Vanichseni, Wongsuwan, Choopanya, et al. , 1991. [14] Hubbard, Marsden, Rachal, et al. , 1989. [15] Powers and Anglin, 1993. [16] Kosten, Rounsaville, and Kleber, 1987. [17] Sees, Delucchi, Masson, et al. , 2000. [18] Dole, Nyswander, and Kreek (1966) Works Cited Amato L, Davoli M, Perucci C, Ferri M, Faggiano F, Mattick RP. An overview of systematic reviews of the effectiveness of opiate maintenance t herapies: available evidence to inform clinical practice and research. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2005;28(4):321-29. Gowing L, Farrell M, Bornemann R, Ali R. Substitution treatment of injecting opioid users for prevention of HIV infection. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 4, 2004. Hubbard RL, Marsden ME, Rachal JV, Harwood HJ, Cavanaugh ER, Ginzburg HM. Drug Abuse Treatment: A National Study of Effectiveness. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Kosten TR, Rounsaville BJ, Kleber, HD. Multidimensionality and prediction of treatment outcome in opioid addicts: 2. 5-yr follow-up. Comprehensive Psychiatry 1987;28:3-13. Marsch LA. The efficacy of methadone maintenance interventions in reducing illicit opiate use, HIV risk behavior and criminality: a meta-analysis. Addiction 1998;93(4):515-32. Mattick RP, Breen C, Kimber J, Davoli M. Methadone maintenance therapy versus no opioid replacement therapy for opioid dependence. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2, 2003. McGlothlin WH, Anglin MD. Shutting off methadone: cost and benefits. Archives of General Psychiatry 1981;38:885-92. Metzger DS, Woody GE, McLellan AT, O’Brien CP, Druley P, Navaline H, et al. Human immunodeficiency virus seroconversion among intravenous drug users in- and out-of- treatment: an 18-month prospective follow-up. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 1993;6:1049-56. Powers KI, Anglin MD. Cumulative versus stabilizing effects of methadone maintenance. Evaluation Review1993;17(3):243-70. Sells SB, Simpson DD (eds. ). The Effectiveness of Drug Abuse Treatment. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1976. Simpson DD. Drug treatment evaluation research in the United States. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors1993;7(2):120-28. Simpson DD, Sells SB. Effectiveness of treatment for drug abuse: an overview of the DARP research program. Advances in Alcohol Substance Abuse 1982;2(1):7-29. Strain EC, Bigelow GE, Liebson IA, Stitzer ML. Moderate- vs high-dose methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence. A randomized trial. JAMA 1999;281:1000-05. Vanichseni S, Wongsuwan B, Choopanya K, Wongpanich K. A controlled trial of methadone maintenance in a population of intravenous drug users in Bangkok: implications for prevention of HIV. International Journal of the Addictions 1991;26(12):1313-20 How to cite Methadone Maintenance, Essay examples Methadone Maintenance Free Essays string(110) " and offer as much assistance as possible is enough to get them headed on the right path \(In My Own Words\)\." Opiate addiction is a chronic disease that affects millions of people in the Unites States. This deadly epidemic is one that in most cases requires some form of medical treatment. There are many treatment options available to those struggling with addiction. We will write a custom essay sample on Methadone Maintenance or any similar topic only for you Order Now The three most well-known options are rapid detect, jukeboxes, and methadone maintenance (Medication-Assisted Treatment for Podia Addiction Facts for Families and Friends). Though each form of treatment has its own advantages and disadvantages, they all have one common goal; drug freedom. Research has shown that those receiving treatment are nearly twice as likely to achieve their goal of drug freedom (Mayo Clinic). Opiates are highly addictive powerful drugs that are derived from the poppy plant and are generally used to relieve pain (mayo clinic). There are two types of opiates, natural and man-made. Though both are prescribed by physicians with the exception of heroin, often times when dealing with someone that has become addicted they are obtained illegally. Because of the potential for prescribed opiates to end up being sold or traded on the streets, stricter regulations have been put in lace for physicians to prescribe them (samara). Where they were once a little quicker to write a prescription for a schedule II narcotic, they are now telling patients to â€Å"take a Ethylene or Motoring† (Levied). These regulations have become a necessity in the war against opiate addiction. Deciding to enter into treatment for opiate addiction is one that requires much thought. Generally when one decides that it is time for them to enter treatment, they have hit rock bottom (Levied). However, rock bottom is different for every person. For some, treatment may be court ordered and they are in a situation where their form of retirement is being chosen for them. For some, they are on the verge of losing everything that is important to them, or they may have already lost it. Whatever the reason may be, getting the treatment needed is a life changing decision. The best form of treatment varies from person to person. For some, the idea of a rapid detect would be the best. It is a quick process that only requires a short stay of usually 2-4 days in a detect facility or a hospital (mayo clinic). In most cases, the person will be given medication to assist them in dealing with the side effects of withdrawing from opiates. During a rapid detect, patients are monitored around the clock for a period of time for signs life-threatening withdrawal symptoms such as cardiac distress and seizures (ASSAM). Those that choose a rapid detect can expect to be sedated to keep them as comfortable as possible during this time period. Prior to sedation, they are generally given Maltreatment, to block the effects of opiates. Other medications may also be given during this time as withdrawal symptoms increase. In many cases medication to help control blood pressure and seizures become necessary. Jukeboxes has become popular because it does not require one to report to a clinic lily, but rather are given a prescription to be filled at a pharmacy. Jukeboxes comes in two forms, a tablet and a film, both are administered subliminally (jukeboxes). Though there are regulations governing the prescribing of jukeboxes, they are not nearly as strict as those in place for methadone (FDA). In order for a physician to begin prescribing jukeboxes, they are required to complete online training that is very limited (Manson). For many, that is the only training they have in addiction. Methadone is a synthetic drug that acts in a similar way to narcotics. Methadone moms in the form off tablet, powder, or liquid. The tablet and powder form are dissolved prior to administering the medication. When methadone is taken on a regular schedule, it will build up in the tissues making the effects last longer (samara). Methadone will not provide the same effects of opiates such as sedation or euphoria; it will instead block these effects if other opiates are used (Catatonia 8). A stable dose will vary from person to person. Generally once someone achieves a stable dose of methadone it will hold them for 24-48 hours without them feeling dope sick (Levied)† Medication-assisted treatment has proven to be the most successful form of treatment for someone wishing to become drug free. However, these forms of treatment face tough criticism. It has been said that treating opiate addiction with medication is simply trading one addiction with another. However for those dealing with the daily struggle of addiction, they depend on these forms of treatment to gain control of their lives. For those people, the daily routines, the counseling, the referrals, the support of others and the consequences is what gives them hope; the pop that they will beat this disease that plagues them (in my own words). Methadone Maintenance treatment is the one form of treatment available that offers all of those things and more. When properly used, I feel that methadone maintenance treatment is the safest and most effective way to treat opiate addiction. There are many reasons that I feel methadone maintenance is the safest form of treatment available to someone battling opiate addiction. Contrary to what some may think, or some of what has been reported, these facilities can have a life changing effect on those who are committed to the program (Methadone Maintenance Treatment Facts). These programs are not only a place for someone to come in, pick up a prescription and leave. Instead these programs require patients to report daily for their medication, at least until they are able to meet all requirements for take home privileges. While there, patients interact with office staff, nursing staff, and clinical staff on a daily basis. Patients are monitored for any changes in their appearance, attitude, alertness, and overall demeanor (Levied). This helps to ensure that if someone is having an issue that staff is there to offer assistance right away. For many that battle addiction, Just knowing someone is there to listen and offer as much assistance as possible is enough to get them headed on the right path (In My Own Words). You read "Methadone Maintenance" in category "Papers" The guidelines set by the federal and state governments are much stricter for methadone maintenance that those set for jukeboxes (samara). For instance, in jukeboxes clients walk into a clinic to sign up and within a matter of a couple of hours they are able to walk out with at the very least medication that should last them a week. When people struggling with addiction first make the choice to enter into a retirement program, they are scared, sick, and in many cases about to lose everything important to them (In My Own Words). These patients are still using illicit drugs daily, and are at this point willing to do whatever it takes to avoid being â€Å"dope sick. Jukeboxes often ends up being sold illegally on the streets because people that have been lying, cheating, and stealing for a long period of time are now given a large amount of medication to take home with them (Levied). Methadone maintenance has a lengthy set of requirements before one is able to obtain the privilege of taking home medication (Blanchard and Crappy). One must be in treatment for 90 days, and produce at least 3 illicit free urine drug screenin gs before earning the privilege of one dose of medication to take home. In order for someone to have a full week worth of medication to take home with them at one time as they do in jukeboxes treatment after one day, they must be enrolled in the program for a minimum of three years and produce at least 12 illicit free urine drug screenings (SMASH). That is Just one of many requirements for one to earn the privilege of taking home their medication. They also have to participate in regular counseling sessions. The amount of time required for each session varies from patient to patient depending on the amount of time they have been enrolled in the program as well as their use of illicit substances. Patients are required to sign releases for every physician that they see so that care can be coordinated properly. It is very important that medication that physicians prescribing other medications are aware of the patient being on methadone. By the time patients in methadone maintenance are able to start taking home doses of their medication, they have started on the right path (Levied). They are on a stable dose that effectively holds hem without the use of opiates, and they like the freedom of not having to report to the clinic to be dosed for the day. These take home bottles that are so hard to obtain, are so easy to have revoked as well. If someone produces an illicit urine drug screening, or does not get their required amount of counseling time in for the month among other things, they will have to start earning their take home privileges all over again. Those that receive take home bottles are also subjected to â€Å"call backs (Medication-Assisted Treatment for Podia Addiction. )† This is when the client is allied and given a short notice of when they will have to report to the clinic with all of their used and unused take home bottles. At this time, the bottles are thoroughly inspected to be sure that their medication is in fact being administered the correct way (SAMARA). Because of these guidelines being as strict as they are, less methadone is sold illegally in the streets making it a safer choice. Methadone is also the safest form of treatment for pregnant women who happen to be struggling with opiate addiction (Practical Approach). In fact, it is currently the only FDA approved medication for treating opiate addiction during pregnancy Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MET): A review of Historical and Clinical Issues. When properly prescribed, methadone has proven to provide an environment that is less stressful on a developing fetus (Catatonia, 19). While a proper dose of methadone will help to prevent miscarriage and pre-mature labor, other forms of treatment seem to cause these issues. The use of maltreatment has been proven to cause spontaneous abortion, fetal distress, premature labor, and stillbirth Issues . ) Because methadone is a long acting medication, it is able to provide the fetus with an environment that promotes development. Though methadone during pregnancy is considered to be the safest of the options available, it comes with side effects (About Methadone). Babies born to mothers prescribed methadone are at risk for low birth weight. This is a very small risk to take when compared to risks faced with other forms of treatment such as jukeboxes or rapid detect. Some of those risks include fetal distress and miscarriage. During pregnancy, women are monitored very closely by the physician at the clinic and are also required to provide proof of prenatal care from an BOGGY (Levied). Studies have shown no long term effects on babies that are born to mothers prescribed methadone during their pregnancy. At birth, these babies will test positive for methadone in their systems, however are able to be weaned in a timely manner (Catatonia, 20). When compared to a rapid detoxification and jukeboxes, methadone maintenance is the safest choice. When a rapid detect lasting 2-4 days in most cases is completed, the patient is left without any aftercare other than what they obtain on their own. They are given a stack of paperwork that in most cases will contain a few referrals for mental health providers and a list of AN meetings. At this time, the patient may be wrought the worst part of the withdrawal process, but they are still unstable (ASSAM). These patients still need the support of clinical and medical personnel, but sadly many will not get that support. Those that do not will most likely find themselves in the same situation they were in previous to the rapid detect. Though patients in jukeboxes treatment have more of a clinical and medical support than those choosing rapid detect, they still do not have the same support as those in methadone maintenance. Those Just starting out in treatment, whatever option they may choose, are at the lowest points in their lives. It is because of that I feel that they are in need of the most support that is available to them. To me, that support comes from a friendly smile when they walk into the clinic every day that reminds them that they are Just another Junkie, they are a person. They are a person that deserves to be monitored daily, given referrals for housing, food, clothing, medical care, and anything else that they could possibly need. For many addicts, the clinic is the safest place that they are in all day (In My Own Words). The goal of any form of treatment is to improve the patient’s health as well as their laity of life (Marion). For many struggling with addiction, their health has come last while obtaining opiates in order to avoid feeling â€Å"dope sick† has come first. For many, this low point in their lives will lead them to participate in high risk behaviors. Those that find themselves addicted to opiates will often turn to theft or prostitution in order to fund their habit, while others will share needles used to administer drug such as heroin. These high risk behaviors not only put them at risk for many other infectious diseases such as Hepatitis and HIVE, but for legal troubles as well (Marion). Though the long term results of any treatment lays largely on the person in treatment, studies show methadone maintenance to be the most effective form available at this time (Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opiate Addiction). Drug freedom is a long term commitment that has to first be taken seriously by the person in treatment. If the dedication on their part is not there, the efforts of clinic staff will not be enough to help them (Pogo). Research has shown that that rapid detect treatment has a high rate of relapse (Medication- Assisted Treatment for Podia Addiction). Those that choose a rapid text as a form of treatment often have difficulty transitioning into a lifestyle of recovery. Often times, they are still living in the same places, with the same phone numbers, and associating with the same people making abstinence from opiates even harder to maintain (Mayo Clinic). For most choosing this form of treatment, it only takes one poor decision to be back in the same situation they were before. These poor decisions have devastating effects on their sobriety making this form of treatment the least effective of the three most well-known forms of medication assisted treatment. Psychosocial counseling has proven to be very beneficial to those dealing with addiction. Those enrolled in both Jukeboxes and Methadone Maintenance is required to participate in counseling. However for those that has chosen a rapid detect, this counseling is not a requirement. . Referrals are given to the patients upon discharge from the facility, but not everyone follows through with it . For some it is simply because they feel they do not need it, for some it is because they are unable to afford it (Mayo Clinic). Jukeboxes treatment does require some counseling though the guidelines for this is not nearly as strict as those set for ethanol maintenance. For those enrolled in a methadone maintenance treatment program, there are strict rules for clients to obtain this counseling (Pogo). Clients enrolled in a methadone maintenance program are required by state and federal regulation to have a minimum of 2. 5 hours of counseling time per month (ASSAM). Clients will usually meet with their counselors once or twice each week to discuss progress in treatment as well as the goings on in their lives. By discussing issues that the client is dealing with, the counselors are able to teach them skills that will be useful to the client as they continue on the path to drug freedom. During this counseling, clients are taught many ways to recognize triggers that were once their excuse to use illicit substances so that they are able to refrain from using (Pogo). Counselors discuss in depth the things that seem to be holding the clients back from achieving their goal of drug freedom. By doing this, they are able to form treatment plans for the client. These treatment plans list goals as well as steps needed in order to achieve the goals. If needed, clients are given referrals during this time. When referrals are given to a client, the counselor will check in with the client to see if they ere able to get the assistance they were in need of (Pogo). The fact that the counselors take the time to follow-up on things discussed during these sessions hold the client accountable for their treatment. Because they are held accountable, I feel that it helps to make methadone maintenance a more effective form of treatment. The goal of methadone maintenance treatment is to stabilize the patient. A stable dose of methadone with effectively block the craving for one to use illicitly while avoiding withdrawal symptoms which in turn permits one to function â€Å"normally. † When taken properly, methadone will not create sedation or euphoria. It should have no adverse effects on mental capacity, motor skills, or the ability for one to maintain employment. A stable dose of methadone will hold a person for 24-48 hours which will allow them the time and energy to devote to making improvements in their lives. However, methadone maintenance treatment is a long term commitment. It can take up to a month to achieve a stable dose in order for a patient to get the most benefits out of treatment. A stable dose of methadone varies from person to person (Levied). There are many factors that will affect the dose that one would require to become stable. For many, the tolerance that they have built up over years of illicit use will require them to have a much higher dose of methadone in order to remain stable. For others, health factors and other medications will affect the way their body is able to metabolize the methadone requiring them to have a higher or lower dose. Once a stable dose is achieved, one is usually able to begin the process of getting their lives back on track by dealing legal obligations, following up on medical care that has been pushed to the side, and mending broken relationships with family members (Pogo). The longer one remains committed to treatment; they will have a greater success rate for maintaining their goal of drug freedom. It is recommended that one remain in a methadone maintenance program for a minimum of one year. For many, once they achieve a stable dose and they are able to provide illicit free urine drug screenings, they feel that they will be able to effectively remain drug free on their own. In these cases, the rate of relapse is much higher than those who remain committed to the program for a year or in many cases longer (Methadone Is an Effective Treatment for Heroin Addiction). Those who remain in treatment for at least year are nearly three times as likely to remain drug free than those who are only in treatment for a short period of time. In a methadone maintenance program, the patient along with the influence of clinical and medical staff decide when they have reached a point in their treatment that they are ready to begin decreasing their dose in order to discharge from the treatment program. There is no set time frame to this process. When one decides they are ready to begin decreasing, they have generally been on a stable dose for an extended period of time and have shown that they are able to effectively manage heir new abstinent lifestyle. Patients that decrease their doses slowly have proven to have the most success in remaining drug free. The slow taper allows their bodies time to adjust to the change in medication so that they are able to refrain from having withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms are what will push a person into illicit opiate use again. Once a decrease in a person’s methadone dose is taken, they are encouraged to remain at that lower dose for a period of at least 2-4 weeks. During this time, the clinical and medical staff is able to monitor the patient o ensure that they are handling the decrease in medication with no adverse effects. This process for tapering will continue until the patient has reached a dose of OMG when they will be able to â€Å"walk off’ from the treatment. After the patient has been able to discontinue the use of methadone, they will still receive after care. Clinical staff will make phone calls to check in on the patient and offer them resources that will assist them in remaining drug free. Methadone and Jukeboxes clinics face tough criticism from many. People living in communities where these clinics are located are often unpleased with having a clinic n their neighborhood. Many feel that it will bring drug addicts and crime into their otherwise peaceful neighborhoods (Swisher). What they fail to realize is that these addicts are a part of their communities regardless of if they are enrolled in a treatment facility or not (In My Own Words). It is a common misconception that it is very easy to â€Å"pick out† an addict (Mayo Clinic). However, that could not be more untrue. There are people everywhere that struggle daily with addiction. Some of these are doctors, lawyers, teachers, actors and actresses, and professional sports figures to name a few (Mayo Clinic). These are people that are clean, well dressed, well groomed and well spoken. Not every addict lacks personal hygiene and an education. There are certain risk factors that may be a factor in opiate addiction. For many who suffer from addiction, the environment that they are in plays a large role in them remaining dependent on illicit substances. There are also inherited traits that will influence one’s addiction. Those that have immediate family that suffers with addiction are at a higher risk of also having addiction issues themselves. Research has also shown that males are nearly twice as likely to have addiction problems as males (Mayo Clinic). Methadone was approved by the FDA in 1972 for the treatment of opiate addiction. Methadone is considered to be the most effective treatment available to those addicted to opiates (Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MET): A Review of Historical and Clinical Issues). It is estimated that upwards of 170,000 individuals in the United States currently are enrolled in a methadone maintenance program. It has been proven that illicit drug use has decline by over 60% for those that have been enrolled in a methadone maintenance program for a year. For those that main committed to the program for at least two years, the use of illicit opiates declines by nearly 85% (Accreditation Of Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Assuring Quality of Care. ) Furthermore, crimes committed by these individuals are also significantly reduced. After lengthy research, I am confident is saying that methadone maintenance treatment is not only the safest method of medication assisted treatment available to those battling opiate addiction, but it is also the most effective Accreditation of Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Assuring Quality of Care). The regulations overriding methadone maintenance are much stricter than those for other forms of treatment. Methadone maintenance is the only form of medication assisted treatment that is approved by the FDA for pregnant women. It also remains the form of treatment that has the most thorough requirements for admission, and for supplemental and after care. As with any form of treatment, there are pros and cons, however it has been proven that for someone struggling with this disease that the pros far outweigh the cons. This form of medication has assisted thousands of people in getting their lives back. It has made it possible for patients to function successfully in society. These people will be able to maintain employment and be productive. The counseling that they receive will help them to recognize triggers and effectively avoid them. How to cite Methadone Maintenance, Papers