CLICKHEREx Posted March 23, 2014 http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/716752-Mindfulness-meditation-may-reduce-drug-user-relapse neversickanymore View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Moderator Recovery Support -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Date Jan 2013 Location babysitting the argument in my head Posts 7,896 Today 05:52 Mindfulness meditation may reduce drug user relapse By Rachael Rettner March 20, 2014 Many people who undergo treatment for addiction will relapse and begin using drugs again soon after their therapy ends, but a new study suggests that meditation techniques may help prevent such relapses. In the study, 286 people who had been treated for substance abuse were assigned to receive one of three therapies after their initial treatment: a program that involved only group discussions, a "relapse- prevention" therapy that involved learning to avoid situations where they might be tempted to use drugs, and a mindfulness-based program that involved meditation sessions to improve self-awareness. Six months later, participants in the both the relapse prevention and mindfulness group had a reduced risk of relapsing to using drugs or heavy drinking compared with participants in the group discussions group. And after one year, participants in the mindfulness group reported fewer days of drug use, and were at reduced risk of heavy drinking compared with those in the relapse prevention group. This result suggests that the mindfulness-based program may have a more enduring effect, the researchers said. [Mind Games: 7 Reasons You Should Meditate] The researchers emphasized that mindfulness-based programs are not intended to replace standard programs for preventing drug relapse. "We need to consider many different approaches to addiction treatment. It's a tough problem," said study researcher Sarah Bowen, an assistant professor at the University of Washington's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Mindfulness therapy is "another possibility for people to explore," she said. More research is needed to identify which groups of people benefit most from the approach, Bowen said. Meditation for addiction About 40 to 60 percent of people who undergo addiction treatment relapse within one year after their treatment ends, the researchers said. Although 12-step and traditional relapse-prevention programs have value in preventing relapse, "we still have a lot of work to do," Bowen said. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention, a program developed by Bowen and colleagues, is essentially a "training in awareness," Bowen said. In this program, each session is about two hours, with 30 minutes of guided meditation followed by discussions about what people experienced during meditation and how it relates to addiction or relapse, Bowen said. The meditation sessions are intended to bring heightened attention to things that patients usually ignore, such as how it feels to eat a bite of food, or other bodily sensations, as well as thoughts and feelings. The mindfulness program may work to prevent relapse in part because it makes people more aware of what happens when they have cravings. "If you're not aware of what's going on, you don't have a choice, you just react," Bowen said. The program also teaches people how to "be with" or accept uncomfortable feelings, such as cravings, rather than fight them, Bowen said. In this way, people learn skills that they can apply to their everyday lives, and not just situations in which they feel tempted, which is usually the focus of other prevention programs, she said. Addiction and emotions Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., who was not involved in the study, said people with addiction often suffer from other conditions that involve problems regulating emotions, such as depression, anxiety or self-harm. Emotional problems, such as feelings of numbness with depression, can be a reason people turn to drugs, he said. The mindfulness program helps teach people to "tolerate feelings of emotional distress, so when they feel like they're going to use [drugs], they dont," Krakowe said. Krakower noted that mindfulness meditation programs have already been shown to be useful for depression. Future studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of the therapy for substance abuse over longer periods, Krakower said. But at the very least, it seems that the program can be helpful for people with emotional dysregulation, which is the majority of the substance abuse population, Krakower said. The study was published online March 19 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/0...-user-relapse/ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Post Your Best Mindfulness Resources and Experiences I am glad to see that people in the recovery community are trying to moving forward, all be it at a very slow pace. This will hardly seems like news to allot of us. The thread I have listed has been featured in TDS for years and mindfulness has also been promoted by SMART recovery for awhile. So im pretty sure that allot of recovery doesn't have a long way to go, but what is still the fellowship based mainstream certainly does... but if it doesn't change it tune and learn to adapt and embrace change I don't see it sticking around at anywhere near the level it has been or is. SMART Recovery (Support Group information and discussion) RECOVERY FORUMS ~~~ADDICTION GUIDE~~~ CONTACT ME -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 treezy z View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Bluelighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Date Aug 2008 Location Metrowest, MA Posts 1,459 Today 07:44 i may be closed minded but i get sick of hearing people recommending meditation, it seems like a lot of people who say "you should meditate" don't actually do it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #3 .:Holy::Toast:. View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Bluelighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Date Sep 2010 Location The Land Of Ooo Posts 1,838 Today 10:04 It could easily be helpful, perhaps for fighting relapse but I never viewed it that way. I kinda quit doing it but I should start trying again, I could very much see the potential for it helping my focus my constantly racing brain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #4 S.J.P. View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Send Email Bluelighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Date Jan 2011 Location Montreal, Canada Posts 588 Today 10:16 Originally Posted by treezy z i may be closed minded but i get sick of hearing people recommending meditation, it seems like a lot of people who say "you should meditate" don't actually do it. Well, I'll admit I don't meditate, but it seems like a legitimately useful practice for reducing drug dependence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #5 slimvictor View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Moderator Drugs in the Media -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Date Dec 2008 Location "Darkness cannot be dissipated with more darkness. More darkness will make darkness thicker. Only light can dissipate darkness. Violence and hatred cannot be removed with violence and hatred." - Thich Nhat Hanh Posts 6,062 Today 13:35 Meditation is amazing. You can access the same states of consciousness that drugs access. Without the risk and damage to the body. I have done this, but only a few times. I still seem to prefer to take the shortcut of drugs. DiTM Guidelines DiTM Videos Thread BLUA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #6 CLICKHEREx View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Bluelighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join DateSep 2012 Posts65Today 15:55 Meditation isn't for everyone, and people who are recovering from addiction, and who have never previously attempted it, or who were unable to achieve even a basic degree of proficiency may benefit from trying all the alternatives provided below, preferably in the mornings, on different days, and continue with the one they feel works best for them: A VISUAL TECHNIQUE: Sit comfortably in a quiet room, at a comfortable temperature, with fingertips facing upwards. Ensure clothing and footwear are not restrictive. Gaze at a burning candle in a quiet, darkened room for 20 minutes (you can use a crystal, egg, mandala, religious symbol, or anything else of a similar nature you may prefer). Any stray thoughts entering your mind should be noted, without pursuing them, and your attention then gently refocused on the gazing process. A VERSION OF MINDFULNESS BREATHING: Sit, or recline comfortably in a quiet, darkened room, but not in pitch darkness. Clothing and footwear should not be restrictive, and it should be at a comfortable temperature. Your fingertips should be facing upwards. Focus your attention at the place where your breath enters and leaves your body, preferably breathing regularly, through your nose. Any stray thoughts coming into your mind should be noted, then gently refocus your attention on your breathing. This should be done for at least 15 minutes, but 20 is better, preferably in the morning, and again in the early afternoon, or evening, as it is easy to drift off to sleep while meditating, if tired. YOGA NIDRA: For those who have, in the past, had difficulty meditating, I suggest trying Yoga Nidra, (actually a meditative process; no bodily flexibility required, just the ability to make a voice recording, and follow the instructions) because it operates on the principle of occupying, and tiring the "chattering monkey brain" until it seeks relief in the meditative state. It is best done in a comfortable sitting position in the mornings, when refreshed, as many people may otherwise fall asleep. The mind can be like a naughty child: what we tell it to do; it won't! So sit, or recline comfortably in a room, which is neither cold nor too warm, in dim light, but not in pitch darkness, with fingertips pointed upwards, not touching anything. Take plenty of time with each section: to hurry in this exercise is to completely miss the point. If others are involved, take even longer (ask later whether they felt hurried, and adjust). Focus all your awareness on your right big toe .... .... then the other toes of the right foot ... .... then that foot ... .... the ankle............. the calf.............. the knee... .... the thigh ... .... Then left big toe...........then other left toes..........then that foot...........the ankle.............the calf.............the knee............the thigh........... Then the right thumb...........then other fingers of the right hand............then the right wrist............the forearm...........the elbow............the upper arm............the right shoulder. Then the left thumb..............then the other fingers of the left hand............then the wrist..............the forearm..............the elbow..............the upper arm................then the left shoulder................then the head................then the chest.................then the abdomen.... ....Then, focus your attention on any sounds you can hear; aeroplanes, traffic noise, children, or dogs barking in the distance................. Then refocus your awareness on your right big toe....................the other toes, and repeat that sequence exactly as before. Next, focus your awareness on the thoughts which come into your mind. Now is not the time to follow those thoughts; just be aware of, and note them. Then refocus your attention on your right big toe, and go through that sequence again..................... Next, refocus on anything you can hear.................. Then, once again, on your right big toe, and repeat that sequence. Then refocus on the thoughts coming into your mind..................... Keep repeating this process for around 20 minutes, at least. Eventually, the mind will tire of this, and reach a state of calm. If you are tired, or physically fatigued, you may find yourself falling asleep. You may then go through the process again. If it occurs regularly, however, ensure you are getting adequate sleep, and not running a "sleep deficit", like so many people in modern Western society, who are materially rich, but time poor. Try practising it earlier in the day, when you are alert, and rested. Otherwise, it should be regarded as an attempt by the negative part of your mind to resist change, which it regards as moving into unknown territory: a frightening prospect, for some people. Exercise determination, and persevere with the process. For people who are more physically inclined, I suggest Googling: "Progressive Muscle Relaxation", or "DrCoxConsulting; Progressive Muscle Relaxation". 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Anodyne Posted March 23, 2014 Eh, maybe it'll keep some folks outta jail. And at least it beats the 12-Step-Plan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
