Addictive behavior takes many shapes. One person escapes with a drink to slow down the thought/worry process; another consumes themselves with eating so that food becomes the focus, and someone else drags off a cigarette filling their lungs, occupying their hands and mouth, speeding the brain and metabolism so they can zip through any discomfort.

These are all coping mechanisms that we learn in periods of our lives. We use them because they work. For a while. They take us away from our discomfort and into a more pleasurable state. After a while our bodies react, causing liver disease, spots on a lung, obesity, or worse, like loss of brain tissue and function. This more quickly becomes apparent in someone using methamphetamine or heroin.

Once we decide that our behavior is no longer achieving the desired effects, and our body can no longer stave off the serious ill consequences, and our relationships are suffering; we can stand to look for alternatives to the unhealthy cycle we bought into. Once we decide to forgo that next hit, refuse that drink, put down that pipe ~ stop when we are full ~ ...we must enlist help. Whatever that is for us : support group, detox centre, family involvement, sober living environment, someone to check in with and keep us 'honest' ; these are all our choices.

Acupuncture has been proven to reduce the stress level the body experiences and to therefore ease the struggle of our transition to a healthy lifestyle. It works directly on the Central Nervous System to calm us and get us through those rough times when a cigarette, a cup of coffee, or a drink or hit is all we can think of. Another level acupuncture works on is the organ level - stimulating such organs as the lung, liver and kidneys to rid themselves of the toxicity they've been exposed to and preparing them for their new clean role.