Kathleen Meier
UNIV 112
November 11, 2015
Professor Dempster
The Effect of Meditation on Substance Abuse Recovery
Walking into my classroom on the day of an exam sends my body into an anxious
whirlwind that no drug can cure, causing my heart to begin racing, my palms to start
sweating, and my mind to second guess itself. It’s at this point that I would normally
begin reciting facts in my head to ensure my knowledge of the material is solid, except
that does nothing to calm my nerves. Regardless of how prepared I am for an exam, these
feelings always manage to make their way to the surface. It wasn’t until I discovered
meditation that I was able to overcome this testing anxiety, simply by becoming mindful
of the present situation. Meditation helps me to stop acting upon desire, which is why I
became interested in meditation and substance abuse recovery. Researchers hypothesize
that meditation has the ability to become a major force in substance abuse recovery. The
question lies in how meditation has an effect on substance abuse recovery, and how do
these effects compare to traditional treatment? Findings show that meditation could
surpass the positive effects of traditional treatment for addiction, and even have more
positive long-term effects. However, there are some findings that suggest that meditation
may be better used as a supplement to traditional treatment. It is crucial to explore the
effects of meditation as a treatment due to the limited, expensive treatment options that
are not accessible to many. Based off of these findings I personally believe that the
numerous benefits of meditation are capable of treating addiction, and could be more
effective than traditional programs based on the long-term benefits of meditation.
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It is important to first examine the science and methodology of meditation,
as well as traditional treatment for addiction, before putting it into the context of
substance abuse recovery. Meditation is a practice involving the mind and body, aimed at
accomplishing a mindful and compassionate persona. This is achieved by focusing on the
present moment through exercises such as deep breathing, chanting, and listening to
meditation sounds. According to Dan Mager, author of “Meditation: Ancient Practice
with 21st Century Application” (2013), there are multiple ways to meditate, and “different
types of meditation utilize distinctive vehicles to establish and maintain present-centered
attention” (Mager, para. 2). This mindfulness increases brain activity in areas that are
involved in rest and relaxation, responses that benefit those with anxious and/or negative
emotions. The 12-step program is the traditional treatment for addiction, which will be
compared to meditation. Lauren Brande, the author of “Basics of AA”, describes the 12step recovery program as a set of steps that lead up to the achievement of long-term
abstinence of alcohol (2014, para. 2). Despite the many different methods of meditation
that exist, they all serve the common goal of mindful-attention to the present. The 12Step program focuses on abstaining from substances, where as meditation is more
universal.
This mindful-state achieved from meditation can be key to managing emotions, a
factor too often neglected in regards to addiction, as well as one that is often found to be
the root of the issue. Ronald Alexander Ph.D., author of “Mindfulness Meditation and
Addiction”, calls this internal voice of craving the “wanting mind” (Alexander, 2010).
This “wanting mind” can be considered the source of suffering, as people tend to desire
things that they cannot or should not have. It is also generally the reason that those
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suffering addiction have turned to a specific substance in the first place; in hope that they
might find a solution to this internal voice of wanting. Unfortunately, if this voice is
satisfied it continues to want more, which is the opposite of solving the issue. This is also
the reason that addiction is so difficult; people fear that they do not have the ability to
change, which in turn can cause denial and more negative behavior. Mindfulness
meditation is essentially training one’s self to think differently in a more mindful and
accepting manner. Alexander states that training your mind can literally create new
neural networks in the brain, particularly in the amygdala, which is responsible for
regulating emotions (Mindfulness Meditation & Addiction, Para. 7). This discovery
contradicts the long held belief that brain plasticity is extremely limited after childhood.
The capability to alter the brain gives individuals the power to manage their emotions
through practice and dedication. It is the hypothesis of many researchers that this brain
development occurring during meditation could serve as a treatment for those that
struggle with addiction.
In addition to its ability to create neural networks, findings show that meditation
and mindfulness have many benefits that enhance the cognitive behavioral therapy used
in Alcoholics Anonymous. Helen Dermatis & Susan Egelko, authors of Alcoholics
Anonymous: New Directions in Research on Spirituality and Recovery, compare 12-step
programs to mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy. The Alcoholics
Anonymous 12-step program exhibits many aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy, such
as the belief that individuals can be trained to acknowledge and solve certain negative
thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. However, the flaw in this program is the lack of a
method to actively practice these behaviors outside of meetings (Dermatis & Egelko,
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198). Vipassana meditation is central to the mindfulness-based stress reduction program
(MBSR) developed by Kabat-Zinn in 1992. A study was conducted on ex-prisoners 90
days after they left prison that had consumed alcohol in excess after being released.
Vipassana meditation, which means “to see things as they really are”, is an ancient
meditation technique originating in India (Vipassana meditation, para. 1). Vipassana
meditation is an “observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of
mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love
and compassion” (Vipassana meditation, para. 2). The group that practiced Vipassana
meditation had a lower amount of substance abuse as well as large decreases in
psychiatric symptoms, an increased control over having drinks, and greater optimism
than those that had standard treatment. It is also proven that those that participated in
Vipassana meditation have a lower probability of dropping out of treatment (Dermatis
and Egelko, 2014). It is difficult to say whether MBSR serves better as a supplement or a
treatment to alcoholism based on these results. However, it is very clear that meditation
benefits patients in ways of reducing desire, increasing positive emotion, and reducing
the chances of leaving treatment.
The positive aspects of meditation are clear, however there are uncertainties in
how this practice should be implemented. David S. Black, author of Mindfulness Based
Interventions: An Antidote to Suffering in the Context of Substance Use, Misuse, and
Addiction (2014), discusses the effects of mindfulness based interventions on substance
use/misuse and the exploration of forming mindfulness based interventions (MBI’s)
(Black, 4). Black stated that Garland et. al. investigated “cognitive mediators of the
relationship between trait mindfulness and craving”, which are extremely important to
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implementing meditation as a treatment (Black, 6). For mediation to be used to treat
substance abuse, the cognitive aspects must be recognized and examined. This is an area
that is lacking in regards to meditation, which is preventing it from being legitimized as a
treatment. The 12 step program already utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy, giving it a
more legitimate basis than meditation as a treatment. However, studies on meditation
about new neural networks as well as increased positive behavior is quickly making it
appear to be a better option than 12 Step programs. David Black emphasized that
“research may establish MBIs as an effective means of helping people reduce their
experience of suffering and face the many challenges inherent in overcoming substance
misuse” (Black, 7). He also commented on the importance of addressing the process of
craving and suffering in relation to the many aspects of addiction. Though the 12-Step
program is a trusted model for recovering from addiction, it is important to consider the
research indicating that meditation could be equally if not more effective in recovering
from addiction.
The findings surrounding meditation have noticeable positive effects on emotion,
relapse, brain structure, and over-all lifestyle. The lack of a direction for these important
benefits is what causes meditation to fall between the cracks as a method of recovery. It
is due to personal experience with meditation that I can testify to these benefits, finding
myself in a noticeably better mood after completing daily mindfulness meditation
exercises. This newfound positive emotion is proved by evidence of new neural networks
created in the brain due to meditation, particularly increased activity in areas dealing with
positive emotion (Mindfulness Meditation & Addiction, Para. 7). Furthermore,
meditation also has the ability to decrease the chances of relapse; this is crucial to
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recovery from addiction as relapse perhaps the primary obstacle of recovery (Dermatis
and Egelko, 2014). It is necessary to harness these benefits in regards to substance abuse
recovery through research, and the development of appropriate programs.
So, one might ask how these benefits can be utilized for substance abuse
recovery. Katie Witkiewitz, author of Mindfulness-Based Treatment to Prevent Addicive
Behavior Relapse: Theoretical Models and Hypothesized Mechanisms of Change,
discusses future research and implications of the practice of mediation in regards to
behavioral relapse, an area that goes hand in hand with addiction. She states that through
examining “identifying factors that moderate treatment effects”, meditation can be further
developed as treatment by regulating the effects (Witkiewitz, 512). However, it is
difficult to regulate the effects as they are directly correlated with the effort put in by the
participant. Results also very based on gender, women tending to have higher reports of
lifted mood and self-esteem compared to men (Witkiewitz, 519). Further research must
be completed in order to explain these discrepancies. Mindfulness-based interventions
(MBI’s) are the beginning of using meditation as treatment for addiction. I believe that
research should continue in order to create targeted effects from treatment, specific to the
needs of the patient. This can only be done through gaining a further understanding of
meditation, how it works, and the outcomes.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to attempt to understand meditation,
and how it can further be used as a treatment. Development of new neural pathways is
evidence that the changes from meditation are physical as well as mental. There is also
evidence that meditation decreases the probability of relapse after recovery. These are
merely a few of the multitude of benefits that meditation has on those recovering from
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substance abuse. However, it is difficult to implement meditation as a treatment due to
the lack of research in terms of meditation being used for a treatment. Though the
development mindfulness-based interventions are a start, it is crucial to research and
further understand this topic. Utilizing meditation as a treatment could provide a cheap
and effective method for individuals to heal themselves.
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Works Cited
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Dermatis, H. & Egelko, S. (30 Jun 2014). Buddhist Mindfulness as an Influence in
Recent Empirical CBT Approaches to Addiction: Convergence with the Alcoholics
Anonymous Model. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. 32(2-3), 194-213. Retrieved
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