Anyone who has worked in the field of addiction knows that irrespective of any nutritional or even pharmaceutical aids, the path to complete freedom from addiction is an arduous one. Even in a clinical environment, such as the one used in Vietnam where Heantos is employed professionally, medical doctors are available to assist addicts in a process where unforeseeable side effects may manifest. Moreover, someone who reaches the intended goal of getting "clean" may relapse at a later date.
Through trial-and-error, a number of developers created alternative formulas that were originally inspired by Heantos with the goal of getting addicts to "taper off" of their narcotic of choice. It was also discovered that getting someone to gradually diminish dosage was far easier and less arduous medically than attempting to get someone to go "cold turkey." Out of these findings, Addict Assist was created, a formula that -- depending on how you access its active ingredients -- is about a third "Heantos related."

Despite the fact that Addict Assist can be and is self-administered, unlike Heantos, psychological counseling is still an important element in the process -- particularly if one attempts to make the leap from tapering off to complete cessation of use. See "The importance of counseling in a sustainable substance abuse recovery program."

How a Secret Rural Herbal Formula in Vietnam Was Made Public

The study of ethnobotany illustrates in numerous ways that necessity really is the "mother of invention." By way of example, here in the Amazon, near our home, there are innumerable remedies for parasites -- more than anywhere else on earth, simply because the number, variety, and threat of parasites is a bigger potential problem here than anywhere else.
And so it is that out of necessity the forerunners to Addict Assist were developed in Vietnam as a result of an unusual climactic condition that affects heroin production. As the story is told, opium production can be spotty in between harvests. This presents a grave hardship for those who are addicted to opium. In a culture honoring the elderly, younger people would have to reduce or eliminate their use, favoring supply for what remains for the elders.
Initially, herbalists in rural Vietnam created formulas designed to aid the withdrawal symptoms and opium cravings that this supply problem created. Addict Assist draws on what for centuries has been largely a native home remedy.

As herbalists and naturopaths, we decided to become involved in this specialized area of detoxification because it has become the need of our time. Between 26.4 and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide. In the U.S. alone, heroin use has reached epidemic levels, prompting politicans from all sides to call for more aggressive treatment measures. Many of our associates in the U.S. have remarked to us in recent years how the problem has been affecting the social fabric and health of their communities.
Even here in Ecuador, there are areas along the coast where opiate and cocaine use is so rampant, as is the crime that usually follows, that residents know to stay clear.

The commonly described symptoms of opiate withdrawal include:

• Anxiety
• Muscle tension
• Muscle and bone ache
• Muscle cramps
• Sleep disturbance
• Sweating
• Hot and cold flushes
• Piloerection (goosebumps)
• Yawning
• Lacrimation
• Rhinorrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Palpitations
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated pulse
• Dilated pupils