Rapid Opiate Detoxification under Anaesthesia (RODA) is a means of withdrawing from opiates (heroin, opium, codeine, methadone, etc.). It is a more comfortable and quicker means of doing so than both the typical “cold turkey” and “valium and clonidine” home withdrawal methods.

The RODA procedure involves pre-procedure assessment, the procedure itself, and monitored aftercare. An important aspect of the RODA procedure involves the use of Naltrexone. Naltrexone is a drug that blocks the opiate receptors in your brain. It has been available in Canada and the United States for many years. Naltrexone may eliminate cravings for opiates. As well, it will markedly impair your ability to "get high" using opiates and it will provide you with a degree of protection against overdose if you relapse following the detoxification procedure. You will be given a prescription for oral naltrexone and you will be encouraged to continue taking oral naltrexone for a year.

It is important to recognize that Rapid Opiate Detoxification under Anaesthesia is but one part of a comprehensive, multi-faceted addiction treatment program, and it is NOT a means of treating the underlying addiction itself. It is a service best provided to those for whom an inability, or unwillingness, to tolerate withdrawal symptoms is the only impediment to abstinence-based recovery. As such those seeking access to Rapid Opiate Detoxification under Anaesthesia must be actively engaged in a program of recovery prior to the procedure itself.