ACUPUNCTURE-BASED PILOT PROGRAM HELPS FIGHT ADDICTIONS

Mike Allen had tried to stop drinking before.

And he'd succeeded for a few months at a time. But he always went
back to the bottle.

That was until he was arrested on a drug charge, served a short time
in jail as part of a probation sentence and then started receiving
acupuncture this spring while on probation.

Allen said the acupuncture helped with the physical symptoms of
withdrawal and supplemented the work he was doing through recovery
groups and counseling.

"When I would go through withdrawal before, I was at risk for
seizures. I'd have tremors for a good month. For the first three
weeks, my hands would shake so much it was hard to sign my name,"
Allen, 47, said.

With acupuncture, he saw those withdrawal symptoms - as well as a
"sour stomach," insomnia and anxiety - disappear much faster, putting
him in a better place to focus on the other aspects of recovery.

"Your mind is fogged for months after you stop drinking. (The
acupuncture) allowed me to get centered to get more out of recovery
than I would have otherwise.

"I haven't had a drop in 11 months - no alcohol, no drugs, no
prescription medicine," he said.

A joint effort

Allen was one of 30 clients of three agencies who received
acupuncture as part of a voluntary pilot program started in March.
Fort Collins licensed acupuncturist Abbye Silverstein treated the
clients in the joint venture of Larimer County Community Corrections,
the state 8th Judicial Probation Department and Larimer County
Department of Human Services.

A high percentage of offenders who have been through the criminal
justice system have substance abuse problems, said Les Rudner,
probations supervisor for the state 8th Judicial Probation department.

"We were seeing offenders with substance abuse problems coming back
through the system again and again. We were trying to look at what we
could do that we weren't doing now to prevent present relapses. When
I started doing the research, one thing that came up was
acupuncture," Rudner said.

Research in other communities has shown that offenders who receive
acupuncture as part of a recovery program were more likely to
complete treatment for substance abuse. And there were lower
re-arrest rates among those who received acupuncture in
court-mandated programs.

"This is not something we are using because it feels good. The
purpose is to help them stay clean and sober and be law-abiding
citizens," Rudner said. "It's another tool we can use to help keep
them from relapsing."

The pilot program was so successful that Silverstein has been asked
to continue providing acupuncture. Scheduling has been difficult for
probation and DHS clients, so since the pilot program Silverstein has
primarily treated men from Community Corrections' 45-day Intensive
Residential Treatment program for offenders with substance abuse
problems and its aftercare program, which can last up to six months.

The acupuncture supplements existing recovery programs such as
counseling, 12-step programs and other support programs.

Silverstein is also treating some women in the Community Corrections
residential facility.

From detox to recovery

On a recent Wednesday evening, a half dozen men and women gather in a
room at the Community Corrections residential facility.

As she chats with each client, Silverstein starts sticking five small
solid, disposable needles into each of their ears.

Silverstein employs a 30-year-old acupuncture protocol developed for
by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association in 1979 for
helping people to detox from drugs and alcohol. It has since been
shown to be effective in relapse prevention.

The clients relax with the needles in their ears for about 45 minutes.

Each needle stimulates an internal body organ or function of the
central nervous system that work together to creating a state of
natural relaxation.

"We gave her a nickname - Pokey," said Ray Cole, who was accepted
into the IRT program after spending 3 years in prison.

Cole said he has been addicted to cocaine and alcohol for years. He
said acupuncture has made a world of difference compared to the last
time he went through a recovery program at a halfway house.

"I just got out and was on probation and I went straight to the
liquor store," he said. "Now when I go into the community and I can
look at a liquor store and I don't feel anything."

Silverstein charges Community Corrections $7 per treatment, per
person in the program. The IRT program, which is funded by the state,
pays for acupuncture for clients in the 45-day IRT program. But
aftercare clients and the women in Community Corrections must
contribute $3 per treatment.

Overcoming fear

Several of the men in the room, who are in the IRT aftercare program,
admit that they were skeptical, if not downright scared, of receiving
the treatment at first.

"I used cocaine, meth and alcohol. I was an IV drug user for 30
years," said 50-year-old Manuel Montez. "During the two years in
prison, I craved it every day.

"I thought, 'Why would some needles in my ears help? How's that going
to stop my cravings?' "

"Manuel was our scaredy cat," Silverstein jokes. "He always said he
wanted to be last (to get the needles put in). Then I'd come back and
he'd be snoring."

After five days of acupuncture treatment for six weeks, Montez said
he was better able to handle stress.

"I'm calm. The high stress situations don't go away but I don't have
as many cravings."

Acupuncture is the oldest continuously practiced medical system in
the world. Originating in China more than 3,000 years ago,
acupuncture treats the whole person - body, mind and spirit.

"True rehabilitation means treating the whole person," said Ruth
Carrothers, victims services coordinator for Community Corrections.

Lisa Smerker has only been receiving acupuncture for two weeks, but
she has already noticed a difference. Addicted to alcohol and
methamphetamines for six years, she said staying clean for the past
month and a half would have been even more difficult without the acupuncture.

"With meth, it's all you think about. It's a trigger drug. You hear a
song and you think about it," Smerker said.

Now, "I don't think about drugs," Smerker said. "Even cigarettes
don't taste nearly as good as they used to.

"I'm better able to focus on pretty much everything."