History

In 1985, following 10 years of their experience developing the basic five ear-points NADA protocol for treatment of addiction, the staff and other professionals associated with the South Bronx's Lincoln Hospital determined a need for a national-level organization to expand training capacity and awareness of the value of acupuncture as a tool of recovery.

NADA was then established to enroll members, establish a collection of related reference materials, codify a training curriculum and develop a flexible system for registering qualified trainers and delivering trainings. NADA has since trained more than 10,000 health professionals, including counselors, social workers, nurses, medical doctors, psychologists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, outreach workers, drug court judges, corrections officers and others to use the protocol.