Acupuncture May Help Drug Addicts Get Clean and Stay Clean in Maryland
Acupuncture is going to take a leading role in helping Maryland drug addicts. By completing a program that includes Acupuncture treatment, addicts will have the opportunity to get clean and avoid serving jail time as well.
The program, the first of its kind in Maryland, has recently been approved for Montgomery County, just outside of Washington D.C. The county council recently voted to launch the program with a $20,000 measure to help addicts in county jails and treatment facilities.
The Maryland program will be modeled after one that has already shown positive results in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Here, Auricular (ear) Acupuncture is offered as an important portion of the program. Auricular Acupuncture has been shown to provide help to persons who suffer from various chemical or drug addictions. The specific procedure that will be followed by trained acupuncturists in Maryland has been developed by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association of Vancouver, Wash.
Acupuncture plays a very important role in the first stages of a program that can take as long as year to complete. The primary concern in the first 12-15 days of the program is detoxification, and Acupuncture helps addicts deal with their cravings for drugs during this time period.
Once the cravings are under control, the patients can then move forward to learning more about how to control their cravings. Acupuncture is often continued during this stage on an individual basis. When this period of stabilization is completed, the participants then move on to more education and also to a course of vocational training.
Successful completion of the program has several advantages for the people involved. In addition to being clean and having a good chance to stay off harmful drugs, they will also have their criminal records expunged or sealed. This gives them an extra head start on a new, drug-free lifestyle.
Thirty acupuncturists from the area are being trained to deliver the Acupuncture techniques that will be an important part of the program.