Pubdate: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia) Copyright: 2001 News Limited Contact: GPO Box 130, Brisbane Queensland 4001 Fax: (07) 3666 6696 Website: http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/ Author: Siobhain Ryan EX-ADDICT JOINS PUSH FOR NALTREXONE FUNDS AFTER spending a third of her life on heroin, one-time user Bibe Best has sworn off all drugs, except one. And that's the one that helped save her almost a year ago. Ms Best is a Naltrexone success story -- one of the many who have taken the controversial heroin detoxification drug and stayed clean 12 months later. She was also one of up to 50 supporters who rallied yesterday at Parliament House in Brisbane to call for cheaper, easier access to the drug. With a heroin habit that began at age 14, Ms Best had ``done detox'' and ``done rehab'' before enlisting in the Naltrexone programme. ``I never had a problem with getting clean. It was staying clean,'' she said. Since she finished a six-month treatment a year ago, Ms Best hasn't looked back. But for others, the price tag for treatment -- an upfront $500 fee and $200 monthly bill for tablets -- means they'll never have the chance to move forward, said Stuart Reece, principal doctor at Brisbane's biggest Naltrexone clinic. He said dozens of opiate addicts a week were being denied the chance to kick their habit because of the lack of government subsidies for the drug. Federal authorities decided against subsidising Naltrexone for opiate addicts in December 1999, amid debate in the medical profession over its benefits and dangers. Dr Reece said while Naltrexone wasn't a cure-all for addictions, it was a ``gateway to freedom'' for many. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry F