I’m having acupuncture treatment to help with cannabis addiction next week, what can I expect?

First off, you have to want to overcome your addiction. If you don’t, or if you are resistant, the acupuncture will not help you.As for the treatment itself, I can only relate my experience, but here’s how an average session went:I would be show to a treatment room where I got as undressed as I felt comfortable. (If you can bring yourself to get naked, it’s better because they can reach more places for needles. You’ll be overed with a sheet or towel during the entire procedure and you’ll have privacy.) The lights were kept at a comfortable level, and there is always nice relaxing music playing.The acupunturist would come in, ask me a few questions about how I felt in general, and would check out my tongue. He would then palpate (that means to assess by pressing with the hands) my abdomen, and determine if I felt sore or tender in any spot. Once the initial exam was over, the needles were prepped. Acupuncture needles are very tiny, usually 18 – 20 gauge. (Piercings are done with 12 – 14 gauge needles.) The needle is sterile, and each one is used only once, then it is discarded. The needle is inside a small sheath, which is placed against your skin. The end of the needle is then “tapped”, which places it into your skin slightly. You may feel a small sting, but it doesn’t really *hurt*. (Especially if you’ve ever had a tattoo – it’s nothing compared to a tattoo or a piercing.) The only place I ever had a needle in that hurt was on my hand, but the pain went away quickly, and the acupuncurist discussed with me beforehand that there was the possibility of pain with this needle site.Once all the needles are placed (you may have any number of needles from a few to several dozen), you are left alone to rest and let the treatment “work” for about 1/2 an hour. The acupunturist will come in at the end of that time and remove the needles. I’ve had needles in my forehead, ears, arms and hands, torso, back, and legs and feet. Just about everywhere except my face and genitals, actually. I find it to generally be a relaxing precedure, and have often fallen asleep with needles in. After your procedure you will need to drink a lot of water to help de-toxify and cleanse your body.Another thing that might happen is moxibustion and/or magnet therapy. Moxibustion is the burning of mugwort (called moxa) directly on the skin. It gets warm, but is extinguished before any burning reaches the skin. magnet therapy is the application of magnets (either during the session, or sometimes small magnets are taped to the skin for three days) to acupuncture sites.All in all, it is not painful, and will help if you want it to help. Good luck!

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If you are addicted to cannabis, it is a mental addiction, not a physical. However, acupunture doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry.