Yoga can help drug addicts, shows a study

Yoga can help addicts reduce dependency on drugs and improve the overall quality of their life, according to a new government study.

The study was authorised by the Ministry of AYUSH was concluded this year at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

It has shown that the quality of life of drug users can be significantly improved and also the frequency of drug use can eb reduced with the help of yoga interventions.

The study concluded this year and was funded under the Extra Mural Research (EMR) scheme of the Ministry of AYUSH. It used Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) and meditation as an adjunct with regular treatment among a group of drug addicts, specially heroin users, an official release said here.

Eighty-four drug addicts -- heroin users undergoing treatment at a community-based clinic of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) in east Delhi -- participated in the study.

Overall, the study showed that Yoga intervention produced a significant change in the physical, social relationship and environmental domains of quality of life and also reduced the frequency of drug use as evident from the urine screening results as compared to the control group that was on treatment as usual.

The findings of the study also suggested that the yoga intervention can be used as an adjunct to standard intervention to improve the quality of the life of drug users and also to further reduce the frequency of their drug use.