Mindful Meditation as a Tool to aid Recovery
Having the tools to manage an addict’s health and addiction over the long term is an
essential component of addiction treatment. A relapse prevention plan can aid in this endeavor.
Throughout this program, one will discover methods and resources to help them stay on track, as
well as what to do if they stray. Numerous individuals undergoing addiction rehabilitation
relapse. That means they resume their drug or alcohol use. That does not imply that they failed or
that the care they received was inadequate. It merely indicates that their brain and body required
additional time to recover and overcome their addiction (Priddy et al., 2018). The purpose of
relapse prevention is to obtain access to tools and services that will help an addict stay on the
right road moving forward. Mindful meditation is one such crucial tool, as will be detailed
below.
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that enables individuals to develop a greater sense of
self-awareness. When we are more self-aware, we are more equipped to handle potential relapse
triggers. The results of an NCBI study indicate that patients in recovery who follow a
mindfulness meditation relapse prevention program do significantly better than those who do not
(Bloom-Foster & Mehl-Madrona, 2020). The participants who practiced mindfulness meditation
remained clean and sober for longer and reported less cravings and greater acceptance.
Participants in Mindfulness meditation are urged to accept their urges rather than resist them.
Acceptance that cravings will occur is a skill developed through this practice, while relapse
prevention strategies are implemented (Garland, 2021). Mindfulness meditation is characterized
by concepts such as acceptance, letting up of personal control, and the use of prayer and
meditation. Jack Kornfield, co-founder of Spirit Rock, devised a basic mindfulness meditation
technique consisting of a mantra to be repeated three times while focusing gently and
consciously on the breath.
Given the numerous benefits of meditation, it is evident that it can be an effective method
for substance abuse alleviation to overcome withdrawal symptoms, triggers, and cravings.
Mindfulness removes the relationship between stress and addiction and enables addicts to make
better decisions when faced with temptation. According to a study released by the National
Library of Medicine, mindfulness can also assist in decoupling drug-use triggers from
conditioned appetite responses. For optimal results, experts recommend that patients in recovery
receive treatment from a mindfulness professional. Mindfulness-based therapies (MBIs) may
improve cognitive regulation of important functions (Garland et al., 2020). In essence,
mindfulness might prompt recovering addicts to pause and weigh their options when confronted
with situations in which they may be tempted to relapse. Mindfulness can also assist reduce
stress, which can reduce the desire to relapse. As a result of the stimulation of the brain's reward
regions by drugs and alcohol, addicts frequently engage in dangerous behaviors. Alternatives to
substance misuse can be provided by mindfulness training that emphasizes savoring healthy and
pleasurable daily activities in order to foster focused attention on the natural rewards these
activities bring. Therefore, mindfulness meditation is such a crucial technique for recovery from
addiction.
References
Bloom-Foster, J., & Mehl-Madrona, L. (2020). An ultra-brief mindfulness-based intervention for
patients in treatment for opioid addiction with buprenorphine: a primary care feasibility
pilot study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 26(1), 34-43.
Garland, E. L. (2021). Mindful positive emotion regulation as a treatment for addiction: From
hedonic pleasure to self-transcendent meaning. Current Opinion in Behavioral
Sciences, 39, 168-177.
Garland, E. L., Bryan, M. A., Hanley, A. W., & Howard, M. O. (2020). Neurocognitive
mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions for addiction. In Cognition and
Addiction (pp. 283-293). Academic Press.
Priddy, S. E., Howard, M. O., Hanley, A. W., Riquino, M. R., Friberg-Felsted, K., & Garland, E.
L. (2018). Mindfulness meditation in the treatment of substance use disorders and
preventing future relapse: neurocognitive mechanisms and clinical
implications. Substance abuse and rehabilitation, 9, 103.
