IJFANS International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences

ISSN PRINT 2319 1775 Online 2320-7876

Effects Of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy On Anxiety And Alexithymia In Heroin Users

Main Article Content

Ashutosh Tiwari and Sunita Gupta

Abstract

The present research was carried out to find out impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or CBT on “alexithymia and anxiety” scores in heroin (opioids) addicts. Heroin is a lab-produced, higher-level substance that is made from raw opium, a dried, tar-like black substance that is a dried form of a milky chemical of poppy fruit. The chemical bond between opioids and dopamine receptors in the brain and throughout the central nervous system (CNS) has an immediate effect. A sample of 60 male heroin addicts (mean age: 27.2) was taken from two Substance Dependency Counseling Centres in the Punjab, India. After the subjects took a pre-test and signed a consent form, they were randomly put into one of two groups: I, a control group with 30 people, or II, an experimental group with 30 people. The subjects in the control group were on medications only and did not receive CBT or other interventions. Subjects in Group II, who were also on medication, were given 3 sessions of CBT per week for 30 days (total sessions = 12). Both groups were tested for alexithymia and anxiety symptoms before and after a 30-day period. The results were calculated using a t-test. The findings revealed that heroin addicts in the experimental group experienced a significant (p value, < 0.01) reduction in anxiety and alexithymia mean scores when compared to the control group.

Article Details