Ive Been Reading All These Forums About Methadone, My Son

Ive been reading all these forums about methadone, my son has been addicted to opiates for a year! He is in a withdrawal now, he says he needs methadone, but when i read all the forums, people say the withdrawal is horrifying on that too? We have calls into many therapists, and trying to get him in asap, but i am afraid of him substituting one drug for the other and he will never be free?