Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

;Mr.Pertto.niuch,I?,Mr. Peritq. That is a methadone maintenance program ?Dr. Davidson, That is a methadone maintenance program.]\rr. Pkrito. Your patients are primarily ambulatory ?Dr. Davidsox. Yes.Perito. How large a group of addicts ape you treating inBoston?.k,jg i^f,./ ')>'l>l^UUi 1-0 f ,/,;,! ffOTn 430 and 450 patientsDr. Davidsox. We have about between 430 and 450 patients m ou^group.Mr. Perito. Is that the largest methadone program in Boston ?Dr. Davidsox. Yes. There is only one methadone program in Boston.We have about 430, 450. There are 120 in a subsidiary clinic in EastBoston, and there is a small program at BostoivXJn^ye^sity which treatsmaybe a dozen patients, r .>+ ,r-,, rrrRf{ r'o-r ?:f='f • J .":tv't. .]\Ir. Perito. How is that program financed ?Dr. Davtosox. Entirely by the city of Boston.Mr. How money do you receive from the city ofBoston?- r ;t',- C'lO-f est T ?5'f r^.''-)f.Dr. Davidsox. We run that clinic + tlon somewhere near $150,000 avear.Mr. Perito. $150,000 to treat 400 addictsDr. Davidsox. That is right. We are bursting at the seams. We aredoino- a bad job. We are afraid almost every day of some kind ofcatastrophe, but that is the situation ; it is.Mr Perito. Would vou agree with the conclusions, expressed byMr. Horan insofar as the euphoric effect of methadone is concerned?Dr. Da\t[dsox. Yes and no. I think that Mr. Horan thinks he is adoctor and he isn't, and I don't think that he really deals with people.- , T am sorry he is not here to hear me say that.Addicts take drugs in order to feel normal. They don't take druj^sin order to be on a joyride all the time. In order to beon a joyride theytake more and more.But many of the people take drugs in order to feel normal. Afterthev have had methadone for a while they don't get a high from it.There is another thing that I have noticed. There are a number ofpatients whom we call borderline psychot.ics who are not psychotic andnot normal, either. These people seem to do'extremely well on metha-•done. They tend to regularize their lives, to become functional again,audit seems almost an ideal drug for them. ,'-ov mOne boy that T spoke to, T said, "Bruce, how about quitting? Youknow, you have been on methadone for 6 months. 8 months."He says, "Look, Doc, I spent some time in McLean until my familyrun out of money and 2 years in the Massachusetts hospital and theydiagnosed me as a schizophrenic, and I foimd dope and methadoneafterward."He said, "Since I have been on dope T have finished high school,scholarship at the Boston Museum School, my work is winning prizesall over the place, I am a junior faculty status and T am teachingcourses and T will be dammed if T will quit." T have beon working withBruce in psychotherapy and he is getting so that he is not quite soborderline any more and he is beginning to become more in control ofhimself and he is talking about quitting. . , , .