Acupuncture support for drug detox- did it work for you?

Question

I've heard acupuncture can work as well as methadone.. Has it worked for you?

Answer 1

Ah-ha, this question clarifies the later one. I am afraid it is unlikely you are going to get much help from acupuncture beyond its placebo effect, which can be significant.

However I had 13 years experience dealing with heroin addicts when I worked as a prison medical officer. The most popular method of withdrawal was perhaps surprisingly cold turkey, with buddy system back up. The least popular was methadone!

( Sorry for my vague answer to the later version of your question.)

Answer 2

With all due respect to Dr.Frank and his great dedication to healing, he doesn't know what he's talking about here.

What you want to look for is an acupuncture detox clinic in your area that is NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) certified/associated.  These clinics are community-based and use acupuncture as PART of a comprehensive recovery program in group setings.  The acupuncture itself is used to combat the withdrawal symptoms, while other techniques (including behavioral counseling, etc.) are used to adjust habits, etc.

DO NOT just go to any acupuncturist in the phone book for this.  It's been shown that using acupuncture BY ITSELF doesn't help that much, but it does help a great deal in conjunction with the other therapies, per the NADA model.