NEW TREATMENT SHORTENS THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

For "Michelle," one look in the mirror was enough to see what her drug
addiction was doing to her -- and to her family.

Once again, after years of being clean, she was hooked on painkillers
- -- taking 20 a day, often buying them from people who stole
prescriptions.

"I looked at myself and I couldn't believe what I was doing, and I
couldn't allow it to happen again," said Michelle, now 42. "I wanted
that stuff out of my body immediately, and I wasn't going to wait for
the two-week detoxification period to get it out."

In August, Michelle called Mount Sinai's Center for Investigation and
Treatment of Addiction. She needed a way out.

"I heard of the Ultra Rapid Opiate Detoxification (UROD) on a TV show
so I ran to the hospital to start the program," Michelle said.

The center, part of the Addiction Unit at Mount Sinai since 1996,
developed a two-step detoxification program aimed at patients addicted
to drugs derived from opiates -- among them heroin, morphine, codeine,
opium and other painkillers.

The trick is that with UROD, the patient should not experience
withdrawal symptoms.

When she was in her early 30s, Michelle hurt her back at work and
doctors prescribed her pain medications. She became hooked.

Eight years ago, she got clean and stayed clean by attending support
groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

But last year, a family crisis pushed her back to the painkillers. She
knew she was in trouble. After two months, she made the call to Mount
Sinai and underwent UROD.

The initial procedure takes four to six hours.

"The patient is put under anesthesia," said Dr. Anthony P. Albanese,
co-medical director of the Addiction Treatment Program. "Then, through
an intravenous line, the opiate antagonist is administered to block
the brain's opiate receptors until the detoxification is 100 percent
completed."

Because an addict's body has been under constant sedation, when all
the opiates have been removed the patient is very sensitive to light
and noise and may feel aches until the brain begins producing its own
opiates, Albanese says.

Michelle went through a screening process to assess her physical and
mental condition and ensure UROD was the best choice.

Although the program seems simple and easy, "it is not a magic
bullet," said Albanese.

The second step is the Structured Aftercare Reintegration Treatment,
or START.

"For patients to be accepted in our program, they have to agree to
attend a support group for the next six months," said Lisa Chariff,
the treatment coordinator. "In addition, they have to take a
relapse-prevention medication during those months."

The medicine, Naltrexone, works by blocking the opiate receptor cells
in the brain, said Albanese. It allows the body's natural nerve
receptors to repair and regenerate themselves by rapidly producing
their own natural opiates or endorphins.

"Also, since the receptor cells are blocked, the patient will not
experience any euphoric or sedative feeling if they relapse," said
Chariff.

Mount Sinai is one of four hospitals in the country offering the
program.

One reason could be that Florida is a state with a high heroin
consumption, according to Albanese.

It could also be the location.

"We have patients coming from South America and the Caribbean,"
Albanese said.

So far, the program has been effective. Research showed that of the
176 patients treated by CITA, 55 percent were still clean six months
later, Albanese said.

The two-step program costs $6,800, most of which probably won't be
covered by many insurance companies. Some companies, however, will
cover the after-care program.

"CITA's Foundation is working on a project to offer financing to
patients," said Chariff.

For Michelle, the cost and the time she invested were worth it. She
feels as if she got her life back.

"I'm happy," she said, adding that she realizes that attending support
groups will help keep her straight.

"I'll have to do that the rest of my life," she said.