Addiction

Today, addiction is a major problem in modern society, which affects the management of patients during anesthesia. In patients with long-term use of opioids, higher doses of opioids are needed to create analgesia and control pain during and after surgery. Also, addicted patients have more resistance to local anesthetic drugs when they are used to perform peripheral and central nerve blocks. Therefore, many drugs are added to local anesthetics to enhance their analgesic properties, one of the most common of which is narcotic compounds. Itching caused by opium may be generalized and often occurs shortly after injection. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the amount of itching caused by intrathecal injection of fentanyl in opium addicts who undergo elective orthopedic surgeries of the lower limbs with spinal anesthesia. have been taken, designed and established.

This study was a double-blind clinical trial conducted on 68 patients who were candidates for elective lower limb orthopedic surgeries under spinal anesthesia and referred to 5 Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 2023. Patients were divided into two groups using random numbers table, Intervention (a group of addicted patients who received intrathecal marcaine together with fentanyl for spinal anesthesia) and control (a group of addicted patients who received only intrathecal marcaine for spinal anesthesia). Pruritus, nausea and vomiting were measured in both groups. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests.

In terms of age, gender, and BMI, there was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting between the two groups. The incidence of itching was zero in the bupivacaine group and 17.6% in the fentanyl and bupivacaine group, of which 3% required anti-itch medication for treatment.

The results of this study showed that due to the low incidence of pruritus in the group using fentanyl along with bupivacaine, its use is beneficial in people with drug addiction.

Drug addiction is a widespread and global challenge that has profound effects on societies and individuals. Various factors can influence the spread of drug addiction. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the attitude towards addiction based on the sense of coherence; considering the mediating role of family adaptability.Materials &  The method of this research was cross-sectional. The population of this research was all undergraduate students of Mohaghegh Ardabili University (Ardabil, Iran) in the academic year 2022-2023 of whom 200 students were selected using convenient sampling. The tools of this research included Antonovsky’s sense of connectedness questionnaire, Karimi’s drug attitude questionnaire, and Elveson’s FACES-III family adaptability and solidarity questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between the positive attitude towards addiction and the sense of connection and adaptability of the family at 99% confidence level. The effect size between the positive attitude towards addiction and the feeling of connectedness with the mediating role of adaptability is 0.306 with a standard deviation of 0.216 and the effect size between the negative attitude towards addiction and the mediating role of family adaptability is 0.309 with a standard deviation of 0.193. Family adaptability can play an important role as a mediator in this relationship. By increasing the adaptability of the family, there is a sense of connection and a closer connection in the family, and this can help protect individuals from drug use

Addiction as a psychological and social harm endangers the health of the individual and society. Various psychological factors play a role in explaining addiction. One of the characteristics of addiction is its high recurrence rate, and one of the related factors is failure in the prevention and treatment of addiction. The sense of cohesion and impulsivity are two important psychological factors that can explain psychological health. In addition, they can also play a role in explaining factors related to vulnerability to addiction, such as increasing the tendency to addiction. Considering the importance of drug craving in addiction prevention and the continuation of the recovery and addiction treatment process, in the present study, the role of impulsivity as a mediator in the relationship between a sense of coherence and craving in drug addicts who are quitting has been investigated.

The current research method used a correlational type, and structural equation modeling was used. The statistical population of the current study consisted of drug addicts who are quitting in Rasht City, Iran, in 2023. A total of 370 volunteer addicts were selected using convenience sampling. The method of conducting the research was that the researcher was allowed to enter addiction treatment centers with an introduction letter from the university. In four months, the research questionnaires were distributed among the drug addicts who were quitting. The inclusion criteria included having at least elementary literacy, being 18 to 50 years old, and lacking chronic physical diseases (such as diabetes). In this study, detailed explanations were given to the participants about the nature of the research, the research tools, and the confidentiality of information so they could participate with informed consent and ethical considerations were observed. Participants responded to the Craving Questionnaire (Somoza et al., 1995), the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (Antonovsky, 1993), and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (Patton, 1995). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Amos version 23 software at a significance level < 0.05.

Examining the goodness of fit indices of the model revealed that the proposed model had a good fit (χ2/df=3.46, RMSEA=0.08, GFI=0.98, AGFI=0.94, NFI=0.90, IFI=0.93, CFI=0.92). Also, the results showed that sense of coherence had a direct and significant effect on impulsivity (p<0.001, β=–0.38) and drug craving (p<0.001, β=–0.16). Impulsivity had a direct and significant effect on drug craving (p<0.001, β=0.34). Impulsivity plays a mediating role in the relationship between a sense of coherence and drug craving (p<0.001, β=–0.12).

The findings of the research indicate the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between the sense of coherence and drug craving. Therefore, by increasing the sense of coherence and reducing impulsivity, the drug cravings in drug addicts who are quitting can be reduced.

Today, substance abuse and its consequences are considered one of the most important public health problems worldwide. Studying and investigating the effectiveness of Wells' metacognitive therapy and emotion regulation based on the Gross model in reducing impulsivity, sensation seeking, dysfunctional thoughts and attitudes related to substances, and increasing social and emotional adjustment play an important role in the lives of addicted individuals and can also be a basis for reducing the consequences of this issue.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy and emotion regulation on impulsivity and excitement among substance abusers treated with methadone in Ilam city.

The present research is a semi-experimental type of pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The study population was all addicts under treatment with methadone who referred to addiction treatment clinics in Ilam city, and among this population, the volume The sample numbered 60 people and were selected by purposive sampling method and were randomly divided into three groups of 20 people (two experimental groups and one control group). To collect data, the tools of Barrett Impulsivity Questionnaire (2016) and scale were used. Zuckerman's (2014) excitement was used. The first experimental group received Wells metacognitive therapy interventions in 8 90-minute sessions and the second experimental group received Grass-based emotion regulation in 8 120-minute sessions as a group, weekly and individually. The research data were analyzed using covariance analysis.

The findings indicated that Wells' metacognitive therapy and emotion regulation training were both effective in reducing impulsivity and sensation seeking in men with substance abuse under methadone treatment.

The results of the research showed that both therapeutic interventions were effective in reducing the mentioned variables.

Today, adolescents face many mood and anxiety symptoms, and one of the possible effective methods in this field is mindfulness training. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness training on mood and anxiety symptoms in adolescents with addiction to online games.

The present research was semi-experimental with a pretest and posttest design with a control group. The research population was 9th and 10th-grade male students addicted to online games in one district of Ahvaz city in the 2021-2022 academic years. The research sample for each group was calculated to be 15 people, and these numbers were selected by purposive sampling method based on the inclusion criteria and by simple random method with the help of a lottery assigned to two equal groups. The experimental group underwent eight sessions of 90 minutes of mindfulness training, and during this time, the control group did not receive any intervention. The research tools included the demographic information form, online game questionnaire and mood and anxiety symptoms questionnaire. The data were analyzed using chi-square and multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS-24 software at a significance level of 0.05.

The findings showed no significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding demographic variables of age and educational grade (P>0.05). Also, the mindfulness training method significantly reduced general distress and anxious arousal and significantly increased anhedonia in adolescents with addiction to online games (P<0.05).

Based on the results of this study, to reduce mood and anxiety symptoms in adolescents with addiction to online games, mindfulness training, along with other effective training methods.

The simultaneous use of heroin and amphetamine has become widespread among drug users in the last ten years. Every year, many people refer to recovery centers to quit these two drugs; however, only a few percent of the clients recover. Considering the low percentage of recovery of addicts, we investigated the effect of three drugs, clonidine, gabapentin, and nortriptyline, on their recovery rate.

This article is a result of a master's thesis in the field of clinical psychology. This cohort study investigated all 91 heroin and amphetamine-addicted patients treated with clonidine (n=29), gabapentin (n=31), and nortriptyline (n=30) admitted to Mehr Khorramabad Psychiatric Hospital during 2023. These patients were entered into the study by census method. Information related to demographic characteristics as well as the status of the three-month recovery periods were extracted from the patients' files. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 23 software and the relationship between the variables was checked using the Chi-square test.

There was a statistically significant difference between the three treatment groups in terms of the three-month improvement ratio (P=0.001). Accordingly, this rate was lower in the gabapentin group than in the other two groups. In the group receiving gabapentin, the proportion of three-month improvement was higher in the age group older than or equal to 30 years than in those younger than 30 years (31.3% vs. 7.1%).

Clonidine and nortriptyline are more suitable for recovery and reduction of withdrawal symptoms.

Stress and psychological cohesion are related to the tendency to addiction and threaten the physical, mental, and social health of humans. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy training and acceptance and commitment therapy on stress coping strategies and psychological cohesion in addicts treated with methadone in Kerman City.

The current research was semi-experimental, with a pre-post test design, and a control group. The statistical population of the study was addicts treated with methadone who were referred to addiction treatment clinics in Kerman City in 2023. Based on the selection criteria, 60 drug addicts were randomly assigned to three groups cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and control group (20 people in each group). The experimental groups underwent 8 sessions of 90 minutes of intervention. The participants were evaluated with questionnaires: Endler and Parker's (1990) stress coping strategies and Flensberg-Madsen's (2006) psychological coherence. The data were evaluated by multivariate covariance analysis at a significance level of P<0.05.

The average score of strategies for dealing with stress and psychological integration were not significantly different in the groups: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and control in the pre-test (P < 0.05). After the intervention, the average stress management strategies and psychological integration scores in the cognitive behavioral therapy group and avoidance strategy in the acceptance and commitment therapy were significant (P<0.001). The highest effect size was related to the avoidance strategy (0.40) and the lowest was related to the emotional strategy (0.13) of the stress components.

The results indicate the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy intervention on stress management strategies and psychological cohesion, acceptance, and commitment-based therapy on improving avoidance strategies. According to the requirements of the conditions, the mentioned treatments can be used.

Addiction and dependence on substances in modern societies is a common phenomenon and one of the main causes of people's disability and also reducing their quality of life. In the past years, researchers have proposed different treatment methods for the treatment of opioid use disorders, the most important of which are treatment with agonist drugs such as methadone, buprenorphine, and opium tincture (opium syrup). Stopping the use of these drugs is associated with symptoms called opioid withdrawal syndrome, which can include things like diarrhea, pain in the limbs, sweating, heart palpitations, anxiety, stress, runny nose, and restlessness. Research has shown that some medicinal plants can be somewhat effective in reducing the mentioned symptoms. Among these, the Ajwain plant has received much attention due to its frequent consumption in Iran and its significant effects in reducing the symptoms mentioned above in other diseases. Ajwain is a one-year plant whose most important compounds include thymol, carone, limonene, and dilapiol, and among these phenolic compounds are the main components of this plant, which are responsible for its bioactive properties. Therefore, we tried to introduce its effectiveness in this review study, emphasizing the capabilities of this plant in the treatment of opioid withdrawal syndrome.

This study is a research of the narrative review type in which the information sources used were selected and included in the survey from Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases - during the last 23 years. Keywords Ajwain, addiction, morphine, naloxone, methadone, and withdrawal syndrome were searched in the mentioned databases. Finally, the selected articles have been evaluated and the results have been summarized and reported in tabulated format.

The results of this study have shown that the use of herbal medicine can be effective in reducing dependence and also in reducing the symptoms of opioid withdrawal syndrome. In addition, several studies have shown that plants that have a high percentage of thymol in their composition can significantly reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal syndrome by affecting the serotonergic, cholinergic, GABAergic, and adrenergic systems. The mechanism of the thymol effect in Ajwain can be attributed to sodium channel inhibition chloride channel stimulation and increased expression of GABA A receptors.

Since the opioid withdrawal syndrome is considered a determining factor for the continued use of opioids and relapse, it seems that less dangerous solutions should be sought to treat the complications caused by the opioid withdrawal syndrome. The results of the current review study have also shown the effective role of herbal medicine in controlling the symptoms of opioid withdrawal syndrome. Therefore, due to the importance of the topic, its wide application, easy access in the geography of Iran, and the cost-effectiveness of this medicinal plant, it is suggested to conduct further studies in this field.

 Before the Safavid era, the use of substances such as opium as a medicine was common. But in this era, all kinds of drugs for pleasure spread and different classes of people, soldiors, ministers and even the king himself turned to it and tried to use them to advance their political goals. So that it’s improper use, the society was caught in a problem called addiction. The literature of this period was not far from the effects of addiction and it was clearly reflected in the poets' poems. Accordingly, the present study seeks to address the issue of addiction through the lens of poetry of Safavid poets and to answer the question that from the poets' point of view, how did drug addiction spread and what was their reaction as a group of intellectuals in society to this issue?

 This research is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting data is library and historical research.

Ethical Considerations:

 In this research, the ethical aspects of library study, including the authenticity of texts, honesty and trustworthiness have been observed.

 The findings indicate that people turned to drugs with the intention of stimulating taste, pleasure, sadness and happiness, stimulation of sexual desire and therapeutic use. But due to its destructive effects, they wanted to quit and while condemning the use of such substances, they also suggested gradual quitting them.

 In the poets’ works of the Safavid period, types of drugs were mentioned 85 times. Opium and tobacco are the most used and poppy and hemp are the least used. Many examples of terms related to drugs, how to prepare and use these drugs, condemning the sufferers and presenting various suggestions to get rid of addiction, in the poets’ poems of this period indicate the prevalence of drugs in those days.