Addicts completing detox ‘at more risk’

HEROIN addicts who complete detoxification programmes are more likely to die within a year from an overdose than addicts who drop out of treatment.

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found the higher death rate was due to a loss of tolerance to the drug following detox.

However, Irish drug-treatment experts, who supported the findings, said one third of deaths by overdose among addicts who had undergone detox could be prevented through a simple information campaign.