This study sets out to make a meaningful and useful contribution to the discussion surrounding the treatment of heroin addiction in Ireland. The study took place in nine urban general practices in Dublin city. Twenty five service users were interviewed in-depth. A phenomenological approach drawing on the psychological research methods of Colazzi for data analysis informed this study. Four themes emerged from the data: Service users’ the significance of methadone for the service user; service users’ understanding of the Methadone Treatment Protocol and the experience of addiction and its effect on families.

This paper reports on the experiences of service users receiving methadone treatment in urban general practice in Dublin and in so doing highlights the influence of the GP in supporting recovery. It explores the theme - service users’ experience of attending general practice for methadone maintenance. These accounts provide insight into the harm reduction policy of methadone maintenance and highlight how - from the service users’ experience - the implementation is falling short.