Abstract: A method and therapeutic apparatus for treating addictions and maladies, such as cocaine addiction and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus has a housing with a pair of exposed electrodes in communication with a current source that preferably is a battery. To provide suggestive reinforcement, the apparatus can have an indicia representative of the type of addiction or malady being treated. To further provide suggestive reinforcement, the housing of the apparatus can be constructed to visually appear suggestive of the addictive substance. During use, the apparatus is grasped by a user and brought toward the mouth until the electrodes engage a portion of the mouth that preferably is the tip of the tongue. In operation, electrical current flows through the tongue between electrodes and stimulates a nerve, that preferably is a hypoglossal nerve, in communication with the brain.