Treatment centers offer an array of services for individuals trying to overcome a cocaine addiction. Counseling, screening for psychological distress, and treating symptoms of withdrawal are all options offered at many facilities helping cocaine addicts overcome their dependence.

A new service may soon be offered at treatment facilities. Recent research shows that acupuncture may help cocaine addicts discontinue using the drug. Arthur Margolin, Ph.D., of Yale University School of Medicine led a team of researchers to examine the effects of acupuncture on cocaine use.

The researchers recruited 82 participants who were addicted to cocaine and heroin. The participants were being treated with methadone for a heroin addiction and were recruited to the study because of their unremitting cocaine use.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese therapy. The researchers used auricular acupuncture, in which four needles are inserted into four locations in the outer ear.

The participants were divided into three groups. The first group received auricular acupuncture, while the second received acupuncture in which in needles were inserted into four points in the ear that were not thought to have an effect. The third group was a relaxation group, in which the patients were shown relaxing images such as nature scenes.

The participants received treatment fives times per week for eight weeks. The researchers obtained urine samples three times per week to determine levels of cocaine use.

The results of the study showed that the participants in the group who were given auricular acupuncture were more likely to be cocaine-free than the participants in either control group. 53.8 percent of the participants in the auricular acupuncture group provided cocaine-free urine during the last week of treatment, compared to 23.5 percent in the control acupuncture group, and 9.1 percent in the relaxation group.

The participants who completed the study in the auricular acupuncture group also had longer periods without cocaine use compared to those in the control groups.

The findings indicate that acupuncture could be an effective addition to substance abuse treatment, to be used in conjunction with other treatment services. “This study provides support for the use of acupuncture for the treatment of cocaine addiction,” says Dr. Margolin. “Further research is needed to replicate these findings and determine how acupuncture and other treatments can be most effectively combined.”

It may be helpful to apply acupuncture as a treatment for other types of substance abuse disorders. Additional research is required to determine the extent that application of acupuncture may be helpful for a wide variety of addictive behaviors.