Suboxone Question...Do you have to be in withdrawal to start taking it?

[lvrgrliah22]

My husband is battling an opiate addiction. He has unsuccessfully tried to quit a few times now. A few weeks ago he went to a detox center and was there for nearly a week going through the terrible withdraws the meds bring! It has been 3 weeks now and he is clean... BUT he is NOT normal.

He is extremely emotionally unstable, doesn't sleep, hasn't been going to work for a week now, our marriage is falling apart. He claims that all he thinks about it using again. He has done research on Suboxone and really wants to try it, he feels that if he doesn't explore this option that a relapse is inevitable.

So, our question is... Everywhere we read and the suboxone clinic that he has contacted states that you have to be in withdrawls when you start your suboxone treatment.
What does this exactly mean? Does he have to be vomiting, diahrea, the shakes, like drop down drag out withdrawls like he had in detox?? Or are they just meaning that you can't be still using when you start?
If they are requiring him to be in serious withdrawl, what does this mean? He's been clean for a few weeks... He's now supposed to go get some drugs off the streest (cause his dr wont give him any, they know his situation) get super high this weekend, so that he can start this medication on Monday morning?

He's freaking out! He's so worried because he thinks that if he doesn't get high and make himself have withdrawls that they wont start him on it. I'm freaking out because it makes me sick to my stomach to think about him going out and getting high again...

HELP!!!!!