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Mindfulness reduces consumption in heavy drinkers

A brief mindfulness intervention reduced alcohol consumption among individuals at risk for abuse, according to recent findings.

“We found that a very brief, simple exercise in mindfulness can help drinkers cut back, and the benefits can be seen quite quickly,” Sunjeev K. Kamboj, DClinPsy, PhD, of University College London, said in a press release.

To assess efficacy of a brief mindfulness training for reducing alcohol consumption in at-risk drinkers, researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind active-controlled experiment among 68 individuals at risk of harm from alcohol use. Study participants were randomly assigned to receive 11 minutes of supervised mindfulness instruction or relaxation in a closely matched active control. Participants were given simple follow-up instructions on strategy but practice was unsupervised.

Both treatment groups exhibited acute reductions in craving after training, though reduction was greater among participants who received relaxation (P < .001), compared with mindfulness (P = .004).

Participants who received relaxation exhibited upregulation of parasympathetic activity (P < .001), whereas those who received mindfulness did not.

At 7-day follow-up, past-week alcohol consumption decreased only among participants who received mindfulness (P < .001).

“Practicing mindfulness can make a person more aware of their tendency to respond reflexively to urges. By being more aware of their cravings, we think the study participants were able to bring intention back into the equation, instead of automatically reaching for the drink when they feel a craving,” Kamboj said in the release. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.