The use of Mindfulness in addictions

Addictions are a current problem that affects millions of people, so it is normal that a lot is invested in researching ways to stop it through various types of therapy.

Although there is no magic cure that can eliminate the problem in a very short time and that works with optimal efficiency in all patients, Promising forms of therapeutic intervention are emerging that do not have the disadvantage of side effects, typical of the use of psychopharmaceuticals.

Here we will see the way in which Mindfulness, or Full Attention, can help to deal with addictions with and without substance, and the way in which they have a beneficial effect on the psychological state of patients with dependency problems.

• Related article: "What is Mindfulness? The 7 answers to your questions"

What is Mindfulness?

First of all, let's see what Full Attention consists of, normally called by its name in English: Mindfulness. It is a set of practices based on vipassana meditation that has been developed through Through many years of scientific research by specialists in physical health and mental.

At the beginning of its existence (during the 70s), the main researcher on this subject, Jon Kabat-Zinn, used the Mindfulness especially to help people who needed help to regulate their stress levels, but as it has passed Time has gone by seeing that Mindfulness is useful for addressing other types of problems, such as the one at hand here, The addiction.

Thus, mindfulness It differs from what we normally understand as meditation in that it is not a practice linked to religion or mysticism. (or what is the same, it is of a secular nature), in that it has therapeutic purposes that can be objectively measured, and in that it has been designed so that it is systematized and everyone performs these exercises following the same guidelines, so that it is easy to study through science the impact that this has on the well-being of the people.

Mindfulness is becoming more and more popular because it has several advantages that we will see later, and this makes it In recent years, psychologists and health professionals in general have been incorporating this tool into their repertoire.. That is why today there is a very active line of research dedicated to studying the benefits that Mindfulness contributes to the treatment of people with anxiety, although this is not the only therapeutic application of Attention Full.

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Mindfulness applied to addictions

Now that we've seen what Mindfulness consists of, let's see the different ways in which it helps to combat addictions.

1. Helps not to give in to impulses

One of the characteristics of Mindfulness is that it affects the control over the attentional focus of the person, that is In other words, it helps her choose what type of stimuli or ideas and sensations she has to focus on at all times.

This It is very important to resist the temptation to use drugs or to indulge in the behavior that has generated the addiction (for example, betting money), and allows you to look beyond those impulses and think more about medium-term goals that include taking care of your own health.

2. Helps focus on projects

When it comes to regaining good health and gaining control over their lives, people suffering from addictions find powerful allies in the hobbies that allow them to take their minds off the routines that led them to fall again and again into the addiction.

Mindfulness, combined with the existence of this type of hobbies or personal projects, allows us to concentrate on something that motivates the person and that makes it easier for you to commit to the process of letting go of dependence on that harmful substance or habit. It helps you to adopt a relatively neutral point of view in which you don't easily give in to outbursts when you know they are going to be harmful.

3. Helps keep anxiety under control

Many people who have developed one or more addictions suffer greatly from the anxiety that withdrawal generates.. Mindfulness also makes it possible to mitigate this discomfort, since it is designed, among other things, to regulate the state of activation of the nervous system.

Are you interested in learning to practice Mindfulness?

If you believe that the time has come to take advantage of the potential of Mindfulness to overcome addictions and you would like to start this practice or improve what you already know, We invite you to come to Centro Mindfulness Madrid, a reference entity in Madrid with regard to Mindfulness and linked to the IPSIA Psychology therapy center.

We offer both courses and psychological intervention by professionals, so that you are able to improve your quality of life based on habits and practices that you can resort to on a day-to-day basis, in a wide variety of situations. You can see our contact information by doing click here.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Garland, E. L. & Howard, M.O. (2018). Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction: current state of the field and envisioning the next wave of research. Addict Sci Clin Practice. 2018;13(1): 14.
• Kauer, J.A.; R.C. Malenka (2007). Synaptic plasticity and addiction. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 8(11): p. 844 - 58.
• Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Mindfulness in everyday life. Wherever you go there you are. Barcelona: Paidos.