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Brian is an author and
public speaker. He is currently writing several books on
the topics of fertility, prevention, and weight loss. Brian
practices acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in sunny
San Diego, California.
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Drinking to Drown All Those Thoughts
When I start drinking I cannot stop until I feel drowsy.
It's this drowsiness that I crave, or, in fact, to relax
from all the thoughts going round in my head. I don't want
to stop drinking all together, only to be able to do it
in moderation. At the moment I drink about 1.5 bottles of
wine a night which is clearly too much. Do you think that
acupuncture can help?
Elena
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You may want to look into Alcoholics
Anonymous- if you're a real alcoholic (mental obsession to drink
plus inability to moderate how much you drink after you start),
then acupuncture can help you, but it won't be enough on its own.
If you are a real alcoholic, abstinence is the real solution, and
acupuncture and the 12 steps can make it possible, and lead to a
much more enjoyable life...
If you aren't an alcoholic, acupuncture and herbs can still help
with over-thinking... it's a form of anxiety, really. Check out
an acupuncturist/herbalist
one on one.
B
Alcohol and Acupuncture
I was wondering about the general treatment regarding acupuncture
and addiction to alcohol? For instance, I was told regarding smoking
that it usually takes 1-4 treatments to be free of smoking. What
is the regimen like concerning alcohol? Daily, weekly, monthly?
Also can you provide any information regarding the costs? Per
treatment maybe? Or does that fluctuate depending on circumstances
and doctor?
Jim
Well, it varies with your condition, how serious your cravings
are, how the practitioner has set up their addiction treatments
(do they have a lower price, etc.), and your financial limitations.
It would be helpful to have the ear acupuncture every day, but
that may not be affordable. Your practitioner can, however, put
stick-on seeds or needles in the points after the treatment. They
stay in for several days. If you get the stick-on needles, you
need to keep them dry to avoid the possibility of infection...
but such infections are rare. The seeds are either magnets, or
herbal seeds that slightly irritate the ear points to stimulate
them. In addition to regular ear acupuncture, probably at least
2 or 3 times a week, you may want to go in whenever you feel agitated
or tempted.
I don't think acupuncture by itself is enough for any addiction.
For alcoholism, go to Alcoholics
Anonymous or a church, because the greatest success with that
disease has come from abstinence combined with a spiritual life
change. The spirituality reduces the likelihood that life will
disturb you so much that you'd want to drink. Cigarettes are so
addictive that you need a real resolve, and may even want to use
a nicotine patch or gum for a week when starting- you'll get used
to not doing the act of smoking, and then you can get rid of the
nicotine, too, later. There is also an organization called Nicotine
Anonymous.
You may want to call around to several practitioners
and see how they handle addiction treatments. In my practice,
I offer them for less than my typical acupuncture follow-up, because
it's a set acupuncture protocol, and doesn't require an evaluation
or diagnosis.
Additionally, there are herbal formulas that can help you feel
calmer while quitting - those may require an evaluation and diagnosis,
so your practitioner may schedule a separate herbal consult or
initial intake to make sure you get the right herbs.
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