Located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Merced is a charter city, with a population of 83,676. Merced means “mercy” in Spanish, and the city is the county seat of Merced County. All methadone clinics in California are nationally accredited, and it is no different for any Merced methadone clinic. Treatment programs here are held to the same standards as programs in Sacramento, Los Angeles, or any other city, and these accreditations must be renewed so that standards are upheld. Methadone has been proven effective as a treatment for opioid use disorder over fifty-plus years, but it is most effective when applied in conjunction with counseling and behavioral therapy in a flexible treatment plan that takes a whole-person approach to recovery. Methadone addresses the physical side of addiction, so that patients are not knocked off course due to devastating drug withdrawals and cravings, but most people who are addicted to opioids need to address emotional and behavioral issues that are also contributing to their active addiction.