Mindfulness-based relapse prevention to reduce lapse and craving

Background: Lapse and craving are common phenomena observed in patients undergoing addiction treatment programs such as Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to find whether Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) can help reduce lapse and craving in such patients. Methods: a total of 55 Iranian adult males undergoing MMT were selected through multistage random sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 26) and control (n = 29) groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of MBRP while the control group received no intervention. To collect data, the Heroin Craving Questionnaire (HCQ) was distributed among both groups and they were required to take the urine drug tests in the three follow-up phases of the study to find the possible instances of lapse. Results: The results revealed that three out of the five subscales of HCQ, i.e., intention to use, anticipation of relief from withdrawal and desire to use significantly decreased due to MBRP. Moreover, the results of urine drug tests revealed fewer lapse percentages in the experimental group. Conclusions: it is recommended to complement the common substance treatment programs with those that enhance awareness and acceptance and reduce the desire to use the substance.