Psychological Interventions in Addiction: A Preliminary Study with a Review on the Effectiveness of Well-Being Therapy in the Dimensions of Addiction Severity in Stimulant Users

Meth-amphetamines are a group of amphetamines that are highly absorbent and effective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of well-being therapy in the dimensions of addiction severity index in active methamphetamine users. In a randomized clinical trial in the form of a single site study, from March to June 2016, the number of 30 consumers was selected voluntarily from among the active male methamphetamine users in Tehran. Then, they were randomly assigned to one experimental group and control group. The experimental group received 12 one-hour sessions of Well-being therapy on a weekly basis. The Addiction Severity Index and also urine test with the assumed threshold of 300 ng/ml were evaluated in a 12-week period (twice a week). The results represented the effectiveness of well-being therapy intervention in the two dimensions of mental status and consumption status of the participants (p <0.01). However, secondary results showed that the consumption rate did not significantly decrease based on the urine test (p>0.05). The results reflect two implications, one of which confirms the effectiveness of interventions based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and the other is the inconsistency between the results of biological tests and self-reported data.