Opioids have a stranglehold on parts of the U.S. And where addictive pain medicines are the drug of choice, clinics for addiction treatment often follow.Sometime these are doctor's offices where patients can get painkiller-replacement drugs, such as Subutex and Suboxone.These medicines, brand-name forms of buprenorphine, can ease withdrawal symptoms and cravings for opiates. They can be prescribed in an office setting, unlike methadone. And the drugs, also mild narcotics, can block the pleasurable effects of opioids if people fall off the wagon and take them, which can help reduce relapses."I use the medication as fishing bait," says John Fisher, a self-taught counselor who runs Addiction Recovery Center of East Tennessee in rural Blountville. The sign out front says the clinic specializes in "addictionology.""We bring them in and try to taper them over time," Fisher says, adding that no one comes truly seeking treatment. They're looking for legal access to drugs. "One hundred percent
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