The acute treatment of opiate addiction includes a broad variety of divers treatment strategies that depend on the different degrees of institutionalisation, the levels of access to treatment and on various treatment strategies such as substitution, psychosocial support and specific psychotherapies. The present report reflects part of the intermediate state of discussion within the group of specialists that is developing guidelines for the acute treatment of opiate addicts. Readers are invited to comment prior to the publication of the definitive text of the guidelines.