Delay discounting and the use of mindful attention versus distraction in the treatment of drug addiction: a conceptual review.
Melinda L Ashe, Michelle G Newman, Stephen J Wilson
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior December 25, 2014 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.122 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Conceptual review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation Addiction |
| Keywords | Humans Substance-related disorders Attention Craving Delay discounting Drug addiction Distraction |
| Key findings | The authors propose that mindfulness-based and distraction-based approaches to addiction treatment, which respectively involve nonjudgmentally attending to versus shifting attention away from cravings, may interact with delay discounting in ways that have important implications for treatment effectiveness. They argue that delay discounting could serve both as a marker of treatment effectiveness and as a target for novel interventions, though these connections remain largely unexplored. |
Abstract
In recent decades, researchers have integrated measurements of delay discounting, how the subjective valuation of a reward changes as a function of time, into their study of addiction. Research has begun to explore the idea that delay discounting may serve as both a marker for the effectiveness of existing treatments for addiction and a potential target for novel intervention strategies. As this work is in its infancy, many potentially significant connections between the construct of delay discounting and the treatment of addiction have yet to be explored. Here, we present a conceptual review highlighting novel points of intersection between delay discounting and two approaches to treating addiction that have become increasingly popular in recent years: those that focus on the development of mindfulness skills and those that emphasize the use of distraction techniques. Viewing these two techniques through the lens of delay discounting is particularly intriguing because of the very different way that they address the experience of drug cravings in the present moment (nonjudgmentally attending to vs. shifting attention away from subjective cravings, respectively). We propose that these opposing strategies for dealing with cravings may interact with delay discounting in ways that have important implications for treatment effectiveness.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account | 2016 | Review | |
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. | 2013 | Review | |
| The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- An Overview of Mindfulness-Oriented Addiction and Pain Recovery. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease October 1, 2022
- Treatment effectiveness of a mindfulness-based inpatient group psychotherapy in adolescent substance use disorder - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials December 27, 2018
Cites 8
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- Mindfulness training for smoking cessation: moderation of the relationship between craving and cigarette use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence December 21, 2012
- Retraining the addicted brain: a review of hypothesized neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors July 9, 2012
and 3 more in the library