I'd say Lucid nailed it ... most people who are addicts (myself included) don't have the discipline to wean off; otherwise, there would be no need for Suboxone. Today, I'm down to 13.75mgs a day of Oxy on a slow taper. I've actually been doing quite well on this taper; but then again, I'm in my 50's, have a new promotion in my career, and since my relapse last March, it never really got that bad. But even still, I have my slips (on average, I seem to have one day per week in which I slip and take a few extra pills). In addition, "take_a_SWIM" - I think you have a great point. Unfortunately, most doctors (my pain management doctor included) don't seem to be well-versed in a solid taper from the current opiate one is taking. In my opinion, this needs to be part of the solution in this opiate crisis. Since I have been given a promotion at my job (and not one person at my job knows of my relapse), I definitely HAVE to do a slow taper, and it's working rather well. But again, I have incentive: I have a solid promotion which requires me to be "clear headed". And even more, I've been to rehab (9 years back), and it was an AWFUL experience. So, without this taper, I know I'll fall into the depths of opiate addiction (been there), I'll lose my promotion, and I'll end up back in that god-awful rehab. Screw that.
My point is, most young opiate addicts probably don't have the discipline to adhere to a strict taper. It's difficult to remain inspired if one's life isn't going in a positive direction and the temptation of that "warm, fuzzy, opiate blanket" is right next to us. I could ramble on about this stuff, as you can probably tell ... I'm quite passionate about the subject. The bummer with Suboxone is that, by most accounts, it's a bitch to taper from. But, some people definitely need it in order to "get on" with life.