Addiction Treatment
Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction
In the past decade, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been studied as a treatment for an array of addictive behaviors, including drinking, smoking, opioid misuse, and use of illicit substances like cocaine and heroin.
This article on the Addiction Science & Clinical Practice site reviews research evaluating MBIs as a treatment for addiction, based on clinical outcomes and biobehavioral mechanisms.
A quote from the research:
Studies indicate that MBIs reduce substance misuse and craving by modulating cognitive, affective, and psychophysiological processes integral to self-regulation and reward processing….
This is a young scientific field, and more research is needed to elucidate the clinical outcomes and mechanisms of this promising new treatment approach for addictive disorders.
Some of the study’s analysis shows that MBIs produce significant effects on craving and substance misuse, suggesting that MBIs may be efficacious treatments for addiction.
Read the study for more information on dealing with addiction using meditation.
Source: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice
Photo by Andrew Leu
Study to determine efficacy of meditation for alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment.
In 2018 a study posted to the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health and a number of other medical journals, indicated that meditation does have “promising clinical applications” as treatment for AUD. The feasibility of providing meditation during alcohol use disorder treatment was also part of the study.
The conclusions showed that it was established that there was feasibility and acceptability of meditation as a treatment for alcohol use disorder and that consistently practicing meditation rather than initially just learning it proved to have better results. The article states that “these promising findings warrant further investigation in larger, controlled studies.”
The consensus of the few studies that exist so far since this field of inquiry is still new - appears to be that more investigation is needed but that there are now many indicators for success.
Source: Reprinted 2018 Elsevier Inc. for National Center for Biotechnology Information
Photo by Anna Guerrero