Can my GP prescribe me medicine to help with heroin addiction?

[beena]

SWIM really wants...no not wants...needs help to stop using heroin. SWIM doesn't inject she only snorts the stuff but recently her habit has increased to the point where shes using every couple of days at least and if she doesn't use she gets physical (not to mention mental) withdrawal. SWIM will go a couple of days without using, feels absolutely fucking awful. SWIM's boyfriend always says by about day three (if she makes it that far without obtaining cash from someone/somewhere and therefore drugs), that shes through the worst of it and should make an attempt to keep going and stop permanently....but as much as this makes sense to her it's just not realistic: if SWIM has money and knows that a couple of lines of brown are gonna sort her out (stop the pain and the depression), then she's gonna do it. SWIM wants to go in a detox but is a little scared to take that first step as she's never done anything like that before. The other option SWIM knows about is to get on a methadone programme...but to be able to get on one she first has to be able to make it down to the clinic on either a Tuesday or Thursday for an initial appointment (god knows how long she'll have to wait after that)...The trouble is she can't seem to make it down there...its a bit of a trek from where shes living and if she's ill then she can't face the journey....alternatively if shes using it's not usually an option either. SWIMs GP surgery is quite literally on her doorstep. She knows that the surgery doesn't prescribe methadone cos shes already asked but SWIM was wondering if there was anything else she could ask her doctor to prescribe? SWIM doesn't want to be on a long-term maintenance programme...SWIM feels if she just had something to take the edge off...something that could be tapered off...then she could kick this habit (permanently) before it gets any worse....Can anyone advise SWIM about how to approach her doctor (SWIM is talking about GP's in the UK btw), what to ask for (if anything), etc, etc. Any advise would be much appreciated...SWIM hates the way she's living at the moment.....thanks in advance.