BRIDGE OUT OF HELL

A HEROIN addict for two years and a methadone addict for five, Andrea's
search for a fix took her doctor-shopping across Adelaide.

Finally, six months ago, she found her way from her Adelaide home to
Willunga's Dr Rhys Henning, in the Southern Vales.

"If you really need to get off methadone and get your life together, it's
the best thing you could possibly do," she said of the detoxification
treatment she received at the Southern Districts, War Memorial Hospital,
McLaren Vale.

"I couldn't begin to describe to you the difference I feel. On methadone,
you don't feel very much -- it's bad for you."

Andrea said too few GPs were interested in helping addicts. "I can tell
straight away if someone's on heroin," she said.

"Doctors should have been able to tell with me."

Another former heroin addict, Alisha, 30, said she never considered taking
methadone.

Under Dr Henning's supervision, she went through detoxification in November.

"With the buprenorphine, you're brought down very, very gently," she said.