Drug Court treats drug users rather than punishing them

Needles become part of solution for addicts

Acupuncture reduces physical cravings and has a calming effect, proponents
of the treatment say.

By LAURENCE HAMMACK and SANDRA BROWN KELLY, THE ROANOKE TIMES

For some drug users, needles are part of the problem.

For others, they are part of a solution now being offered by Roanoke's Drug
Court.

The Drug Court -- an innovative program that provides long-term treatment
instead of incarceration for some drug offenders -- recently began using
acupuncture in an effort to help people overcome their drug addictions.

For people like Amy Waid, it seems to be working.

At 8:30 a.m. last Wednesday, Waid showed up at the Drug Court's downtown
offices for her ninth appointment with an acupuncturist. As five ultra-thin,
silver needles were inserted into strategic points on Waid's ears, she
talked about how the process has helped her stay off crack cocaine since
last July.

"It's groovy," Waid said. With soothing music playing in the background,
Waid leaned her head back against the wall, and her body visibly relaxed.
She chatted with another offender whose ears, like hers, resembled pin
cushions.

"I thought it would hurt, but it just feels like a little pinch," Waid said.

Another woman receiving acupuncture, who asked not to be identified, said
the benefits are twofold: It physically reduces her craving for drugs, and
its calming effect makes her more mentally inclined to overcome her
addiction.

"It's been a wonder treatment for me," she said.

Auricular acupuncture, which is limited to the ears, is gaining acceptance
nationally as a way to treat substance abuse. Clients of New Directions
Outpatient Counseling Center in Roanoke have had access to the ancient
Chinese treatment since September, and the Drug Court began its program in
October.

It is too early to say with any certainty how well acupuncture works for
substance abusers, said Norborne Berkeley, director of the Drug Court. But
based on anecdotal evidence from about 40 people who are receiving the
treatment, it seems to be a "useful tool," he said.

"There's a lot of stress on people in Drug Court," Berkeley said, "and if
you can do something about all that stress without them relapsing back to
drugs, then you've accomplished a great deal."

The cost of performing acupuncture, about $15,000 a year, is covered by
state money and a federal grant awarded to the Drug Court.

Acupuncture, which has been used in China for about 2,500 years, is premised
on the 14 meridians or pathways through which the energy force called qi or
chi (pronounced "chee") travels. Sticking needles into points of the body
along the channels is thought to get qi flowing again and relieve a variety
of illnesses, ailments and addictions.

"It's one of those things that is much better experienced than it is
explained verbally," said Debby Hill, a certified addiction counselor who
performs acupuncture for the Drug Court.

Counselors stress that acupuncture alone is usually not enough to rid
someone of their addiction to drugs or alcohol. The procedure is just one
part of the Drug Court program, which includes counseling, group therapy,
educational training and other services offered through the Day Reporting
Center, a division of the state Department of Corrections.

In addition to going to meetings, Drug Court participants are required to
submit to regular drug tests and attend weekly court hearings, where a judge
monitors their progress.

"It's not a panacea," Kathleen Carroll said of the Drug Court's acupuncture
program. "The big thing with this is that it does need to be done in
conjunction with a treatment program." Carroll is the coordinator of New
Directions, which is run by Blue Ridge Community Services. The program
recently had four counselors certified to perform acupuncture after a
70-hour training program.

Counselor Emmett Butcher, who did Waid's treatment Wednesday, said he was
skeptical about the effectiveness of acupuncture right up to his first day
of training. The training is done at Lincoln Hospital in New York by Dr.
Michael Smith, who pioneered the procedure as treatment for substance
abusers.

Butcher arrived for class with pink eye and asked Smith if he would direct
him to a pharmacist so he could get medicine to treat the inflammation.

"He said 'Don't worry' and sent me to an acupuncturist," Butcher said.

The acupuncturist inserted small needles into the skin on each side of
Butcher's eyes, on each cheek, on his forearms, shins and big toes.

"The big toe one was there to release all the negative energy, the doctor
said," Butcher remembered. "It was hard to trust the process, because I was
used to taking medicine."

With the needles in place, Butcher rested on the table for 45 minutes. He
then was instructed to drink herbal tea throughout the day, a special
solution the acupuncturist mixed for him. At night, he dipped gauze in the
tea and put the gauze over his eyes.

His eyes were fine in four days, and Butcher was hooked on acupuncture.

"It changed my whole perspective on treating myself when I get sick," he
said.

Officials at the Drug Court are trying to get more offenders to try
acupuncture, which is voluntary. But some people are leery of needles --
even those who used them to inject drugs into their bloodstream.

Roanoke's Drug Court, which was the first of its kind in the state when it
opened in September 1995, is based on the premise that it's more effective
to treat someone's drug use than it is to punish him for the crimes related
to addiction.

Under the program, which is limited to drug users and small-time dealers,
offenders plead guilty as soon as possible after their arrest. The charge is
taken under advisement, and they enter a treatment program that lasts at
least one year. If they complete the program successfully, the charge is
dismissed.

Since 1995, 191 people have entered the program. Fifty-six have graduated,
and another 85 are still enrolled. The idea is to get people like Waid off
drugs and back into society as productive, working citizens.

Waid, 27, has dreams of getting her legal problems behind her and studying
to become a pediatrics nurse. "Some day," she said, emphasizing the "some."

The Roanoke Drug Court will have an open house Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. It is located in the Day Reporting Center in the Commonwealth Building
on Luck Avenue.