Complimentary Addictions: Pharmaceutical Experimentalism and the Problem of Recovery in Baltimore

Med Anthropol. 2023 Oct 3;42(7):637-649. doi: 10.1080/01459740.2023.2249203. Epub 2023 Aug 30.

Abstract

In Baltimore, clients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) experiment with prescription medicine and in doing so face new risks of noncompliance as they tread this blurry line between medical and illegal. This can potentially lead to suspension from drug treatment programs, resulting in clients finding the next most suitable treatment center to enroll into. I argue that the close interaction between drug treatment centers and illegal markets results in new pharmaceutical dependencies, forms of self-care as well as suspicions toward, but also among clients, about their intentions to recover.

Keywords: Addiction; Baltimore; methadone; recovery; treatment center.

MeSH terms

  • Anthropology, Medical
  • Baltimore
  • China
  • Humans
  • Methadone* / therapeutic use
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment*
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations

Substances

  • Methadone
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations