Mindfulness and Drug Addiction Treatment
An individual with substance abuse issues tends to live in the past and dwell on the "woulda, shoulda, coulda," focus on ways to alter their mood, function on auto-pilot, and be driven by emotions without analysis of the consequences. Mindfulness is a viable strategy that will prioritize and help the individual to focus on the present. Mindfulness can assist with decreasing mood dependent behaviors by increasing awareness of thoughts and acceptance without judgment. To acknowledge and accept rather than to modify or suppress experiences enables nonjudgmental acceptance of moment-to-moment life events (Germer,2005). It brings conscious awareness to the present moment. Lastly, it provides the time needed …show more content…
Past experiences, both negative and positive, shape one’s view of self. Loss of a job, a lost love, or a plethora of other life events can trigger a series of events that lead one to use, abuse, and then become addicted to drugs. Those that deal with life’s experiences healthily will likely avoid addiction. Conversely, those that are unable, for whatever reason, to deal with the emotions attached to their life experiences can easily slip into addiction. Mindfulness provides an excellent avenue to place those addiction-inducing life experiences in a distinct perspective and then apply logic, reason, and critical thinking to the situation, to effect a viable solution. There is a great need for effective long-term relapse prevention. Government statistics of drug addictions are staggering. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an operating division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, drug addiction does not discriminate between age groups. Statistics in all demographics of age are astounding. The breakdown (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2015) is as …show more content…
With such staggering drug abuse statistics, it is imperative that treatment strategies be meeting the needs of the addicted. Even more staggering than the rates of addiction are the relapse rates. Statistics made available through various government agencies, place the relapse rate at as low as 30% and as high as 70% (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2015). With relapse rates at such elevated levels, the mind clearing, acceptance of one's current situation, openness, and lack of judgment aspects of mindfulness will help the addict to let go of things that are of no use to one's current situation. One must clear their mind of the burdens of guilt that plague them. Because thoughts become behaviors, if one can channel one’s thoughts in a positive direction, soon the actions will follow. Mindfulness can help one to let go of grudges, envy, and other adverse factors that sabotage one. With the release of harmful thoughts, one will soon see positive thoughts take over, and then healthy behaviors will quickly
An individual with substance abuse issues tends to live in the past and dwell on the "woulda, shoulda, coulda," focus on ways to alter their mood, function on auto-pilot, and be driven by emotions without analysis of the consequences. Mindfulness is a viable strategy that will prioritize and help the individual to focus on the present. Mindfulness can assist with decreasing mood dependent behaviors by increasing awareness of thoughts and acceptance without judgment. To acknowledge and accept rather than to modify or suppress experiences enables nonjudgmental acceptance of moment-to-moment life events (Germer,2005). It brings conscious awareness to the present moment. Lastly, it provides the time needed …show more content…
Past experiences, both negative and positive, shape one’s view of self. Loss of a job, a lost love, or a plethora of other life events can trigger a series of events that lead one to use, abuse, and then become addicted to drugs. Those that deal with life’s experiences healthily will likely avoid addiction. Conversely, those that are unable, for whatever reason, to deal with the emotions attached to their life experiences can easily slip into addiction. Mindfulness provides an excellent avenue to place those addiction-inducing life experiences in a distinct perspective and then apply logic, reason, and critical thinking to the situation, to effect a viable solution. There is a great need for effective long-term relapse prevention. Government statistics of drug addictions are staggering. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an operating division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, drug addiction does not discriminate between age groups. Statistics in all demographics of age are astounding. The breakdown (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2015) is as …show more content…
With such staggering drug abuse statistics, it is imperative that treatment strategies be meeting the needs of the addicted. Even more staggering than the rates of addiction are the relapse rates. Statistics made available through various government agencies, place the relapse rate at as low as 30% and as high as 70% (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2015). With relapse rates at such elevated levels, the mind clearing, acceptance of one's current situation, openness, and lack of judgment aspects of mindfulness will help the addict to let go of things that are of no use to one's current situation. One must clear their mind of the burdens of guilt that plague them. Because thoughts become behaviors, if one can channel one’s thoughts in a positive direction, soon the actions will follow. Mindfulness can help one to let go of grudges, envy, and other adverse factors that sabotage one. With the release of harmful thoughts, one will soon see positive thoughts take over, and then healthy behaviors will quickly