Before being ordered to rehab my son tried to use suboxone by himself to get off pain pills and heroin but his attempts were unsuccessful.
Finally my son went to rehab for his pain pill addiction. I'm glad I didn't have to watch him face to face--just hearing him talk about it was bad enough.
My son was put on suboxone in the beginning of his treatment, but he was weaned off it fairly quickly. By the time the third week rolled around he was feeling much better and more like himself.
I'm no expert, but I think it's probably rare for an addict to be able to manage their detox on their own.