^ pain free detox? Not realy, no. Ibogaine treatment supposedly reverses opioid dependence and you don't feel physical withdrawal but it's a very intense process mentally and physically, you trip for days. And it doesn't work for long acting opioids. Then there's that rapid detox where they put you under anesthesia and flush you with naltrexone (waismann method) so you go through withdrawal faster and it's "pain free" but it's really not. Not only does it cost thousands of dollars but you wake up feeling like absolute shit and everyone I've talked to that did it relapsed immediately and said it was inhuman and just a dangerous procedure. Unfortunately, taking short cuts seldom work even though as addicts we want a quick fix.
I haven't had any success with detox, medicated or not. And I've seen dozens of people go to detox and relapse immediately or soon after. In my experience, the best way to get off opioids is with a correct taper combined with a recovery program. I generally recommend a buprenorphine taper, but methadone is sometimes more appropriate because there's no PWD or ceiling effect. It all depends on the length of your addiction and the amount and potency of the opioids used. For example, due to my high level of tolerance to all opioids and use of cocaine/benzos, methadone would be the easier and safer method to taper with. But because I was such a wreck this last time I decided to get clean, I knew I needed maintenance for at least a year so I chose bupe... they made me wait too long to induce and I ended up in the ER and went 7 days in withdrawal even with the 32mg max dose of bupe daily. Anyways, whether you use methadone or bupe, a 10 day taper is usually a good plan but it can be longer or shorter depending on the patient's needs.
But even a correct taper is not enough on it's own. Sustained, long-term sobriety from drugs and alcohol is usually a result of active recovery. Opioid addiction especially necessitates this because PAWS generally lasts 1 year, and for many of us getting there seems hopeless. What "active recovery" looks like is up to the addict himself (or herself), as different things work for different people. I've personally tried detox, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, bupe maintenance, methadone maintenance, group therapy, individual therapy, 12 step meetings, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, sober living environments, psychiatry and medication, diet and exercise, holistic medicine, herbal remedies... I've kept the stuff that worked for me personally, all that matters is I do something every day for my recovery.
What I've generally seen work for a lot if people is medication, individual therapy, and some kind of group process (meetings or group therapy, anything with other addicts). I think correct medication gets overlooked and I know in my case I relapsed many times till I found what worked for me... seroquel so I could sleep and remeron for anxiety plus buprenorphine right now. These 3 have given me a chance to do all the shit I mentioned above, I was such a wreck previously that I would relapse or self-destruct. Unfortunately I'm pregnant plus bupe is the only effective treatment I've found for my depression or I'd be off right now giving 100% off maintenance a shot again. But I've completed both bupe and methadone tapers previously and with minimal discomfort.
Sorry for the tangent. Oh my.