Management of cravings in adults suffering from substance use disorder : mindfulness based-relapse prevention vs treatment as usual

Abstract

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is declared as a chronic relapsing condition (McLellan, 2002). It impairs the capability of individuals from functioning optimally, resulting in a poor quality of life (Schulte & Hser, 2013). The introduction of Mindfulness Based- Relapse Prevention (MBRP) enabled such individuals to enhance their coping abilities thus, managing drug cravings more efficiently (Brewer, Elwafi & Davis, 2014). The research question reads: For adults with Substance Use Disorder, does the use of Mindfulness Based-Relapse Prevention reduce cravings when compared to Treatment as Usual?” The PICO framework conducted this dissertation and included: Adults suffering from SUD as the population, Treatment As Usual (TAU) as the intervention, MBRP as the comparison and reduction of cravings as the outcome. Inclusion criteria incorporated studies published in the English language within the last 10 years. Studies had to be peer-reviewed, available in full-text online, included alcohol and substance use while restricted solely to MBRP as a form of mindfulness therapy. Exclusion criteria limited studies to Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis while studies focusing on 1 individual substance were excluded too. HyDi platform and Google Scholar search engine were used for the literature search, 5 relevant articles were fetched. The Oxford Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP, 2018) tools were used to critique the identified study design that of RCTs. Results related to the effectiveness of MBRP practice, offered a substantial degree of treatment viability and efficacy through the reduction of cravings based on specific components related to MBRP which varied from a research article to another. Main conclusions include MBRP displaying consistency in reducing cravings among adults suffering from SUD more effectively than TAU. Several recommandations for clinical practice, education and policy developers were addressed. The conduction of further studies on national and international levels was among the most vital recommendations.