Authors A. Thomas McLellan and Nora D. Volkow propose a three-stage cascade model at the patient level for the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD): protection, remission, and recovery[2]. The first goal is protection, which begins immediately after diagnosis with the administration of drugs such as methadone or buprenorphine to prevent overdose and the risks of infections such as HIV caused by injecting drug use[2]. These drugs protect life, stabilize the patient and keep him on the treatment program[2]. The second stage is remission, i.e. a significant and permanent reduction of OUD symptoms thanks to daily medication dosage and psychosocial support of rehabilitation[2]. A third goal is recovery, where patients are not advised to discontinue treatment if insufficient progress is made, but instead to be referred to more intensive residential services[2]. The authors emphasize that time-limited detoxification is not an appropriate primary goal because it is not possible to completely reverse the effects of opiates on the brain[2]. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine reminds us that OUD should be treated as a medical condition, not as a character flaw[2].