Improve Alcohol Treatment Completion with Spirituality By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “spiritual experiences and spiritual practices, including prayer and mindfulness meditation, may be helpful in reducing hazardous drinking and in the treatment of [Alcohol Use Disorder].” – Katie Witkiewitz Inappropriate use of alcohol is a major societal problem. In fact, about […]
Adherence to a Mindfulness Intervention Assists in Preventing Alcoholism Relapse By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Thoughts and feelings, including urges to use substances or activities, are always temporary. Through mindfulness and its related practices (including meditation) it is possible to learn how to face uncomfortable, painful thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, and let […]
Reduce Alcohol-Related Choices to Alleviate Stress with Brief Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Meditation has a pretty long list of reputed benefits, including everything from lowered stress levels to more effective (and mood-boosting) runs. It can help curb your craving for cocktails.” – Rachel Lapidos Inappropriate use of alcohol is a major societal […]
Reduce the Alcohol Consumption of At-Risk Individuals with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Its latest experiment has not only proven the usefulness of mindfulness in this area, but shown that just 11 minutes of the therapy can reduce alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers.” – Liat Clark Inappropriate use of alcohol […]
Decrease Alcohol Intake and Related Consequences in Teens with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness also helps people learn to relate to discomfort differently. When an uncomfortable feeling like a craving or anxiety arises, people . . . are able to recognize their discomfort, and observe it with presence and compassion, instead […]
Control Alcohol Intake by Reducing Stress with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It’s all about awareness and experiencing what you are doing. Enjoying powerful substances like caffeine, sugar and alcohol doesn’t have to be bad, as long as you are aware if it hurts or hinders you.” – Marc David […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “it’s tempting to conclude that mindfulness is the “best new thing” for addiction treatment, but that in reality, further study is needed. It absolutely has promise, we have a lot more to learn, this is the beginning.” – Sarah Bowen Substance abuse is a major health […]
“Research investigating the relationship between religious commitment and drug use consistently indicates that those young people who are seriously involved in religion are more likely to abstain from drug use than those who are not; moreover, among users, religious youth are less likely than non-religious youth to use drugs heavily” – Gerald Bachman Alcohol […]
“I’m saying let’s bring mindfulness to the act of drinking. Let’s not overindulge; let’s work with our craving in a fashion similar to the way we work with it on the meditation cushion. Let’s enjoy the experience without falling into the trap of confusion. At the end of the night of a Right Drinking, […]
Alcoholism is a terrible disease. It renders the individual ineffective at work. It tears apart families, with one in every four families having alcohol related problems. It makes the individual dangerous both driving and not, with over 33 thousand deaths attributed to drunk driving in the US per year. It is associated with a quarter […]