Things You'll Need:
- Primary care physician
- NADA-trained acupuncturist
- Drug rehabilitation center
- Mental health professional
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Step 1
Schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to discuss your problems with addiction. Your doctor can help you determine whether you can safely treat your addiction with acupuncture on an outpatient basis or if you should enroll in a residential detoxification program.
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Step 2
Locate a certified acupuncturist in your area who has been trained to use the NADA protocol. Acupuncture used to treat addiction is based on a five-point auricular (ear) method developed by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). Use Acufinder, an online referral service, to find professionals who specialize in addiction and auricular acupuncture (see Resources below).
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Step 3
Enroll in an inpatient rehab program that offers acupuncture to combat severe addictions to alcohol and drugs. Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center (LMMHC) in New York City was one of the first hospitals to use acupuncture in this way and remains one of the top programs in the country. Contact information for LMMHC can be found on the New York State Department of Health website (see Resources below).
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Step 4
Begin acupuncture sessions after you have stopped smoking, drinking or using drugs. The acupuncture will help detoxify your body, alleviate physical symptoms of withdrawal and curb cravings by restoring balance to your energy system. However, the treatment will not be successful if you are still using the harmful substances.
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Step 5
Schedule two to three acupuncture appointments in the first 2 weeks to help you break your addiction to smoking. Further weekly sessions may be needed to become smoke-free and will almost certainly be required to successfully treat a drug or alcohol addiction.
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Step 6
Learn the correct way to apply acupressure to the five NADA points on your ear. The acupuncturist may attach tiny seed-like fixtures to your ear for ease of use. Once you have learned how to manipulate these points, you can help reduce your cravings in between treatments.
