There have not been many good, scientifically rigorous studies to look at whether or not acupuncture helps people who are trying to withdraw from drugs.

Acupuncture has been used to treat many health conditions, including chronic pain, nausea and addiction. It is widely practiced in this country as well as in many other countries around the world. But the science behind acupuncture is often limited.

Many of the best acupuncture treatment trials suggest that acupuncture and placebo acupuncture have similar effects. It is possible that many of the effects of acupuncture relate to the "placebo" effect. A placebo effect is a perceived benefit from a substance or procedure even though the substance or procedure does not have any direct medical value. A placebo can make a person feel better just because he or she expects the treatment to help. Scientists don't yet know, and are actively looking at these questions.

At the present time, there is no clear scientific proof that acupuncture helps people withdraw from drugs. There have been a few studies that suggest that auricular acupuncture (where needles are placed into specific points of the ear) can help treat people with substance addictions. In addition, there is a great deal of clinical experience with acupuncture for addiction. It may be reasonable to try it. Acupuncture is quite safe, and many people try it because there is little likelihood it will cause harm. So it may be worth trying it as part of a program of addiction withdrawal.