For an opiate addict, getting off heroin is probably one of the most difficult things anyone can do, but most people chastise addicts for not quitting.   It’s easier said than done and the infamous “cold turkey” seldom works for most addicts.  Replacement drug therapy had been a choice for many opiate addicts seeking to normalize their lives and get away from of the torment of addiction.  With respect to reducing damage to not only society, but the life of the addict themselves, quite a few options have emerged in recent years.  Methadone, a long acting opiate drug itself, has been around the longest.  As pharmaceutical development  progressed,  Suboxone,  Probuphine, and Vivitrol have followed.  Vivitrol, actually not an opiate or a partial opiate like buprenorphine, the  proprietary name for Suboxone.  It is developed from naltrexone, originally used to treat alcoholism.  Recovery Helpdesk is an excellent website, committed to explain in more detail the mechanics of making the right choices for addicts.