Mindfulness and other mind-body practices have demonstrated efficacy in reducing problematic drug and alcohol use. With increasing advances in digital technology, we want to highlight research that creatively leverages technology to expand the reach of mindfulness and mind-body interventions for addiction. As such, this special collection of articles will focus on innovative approaches for using technology (e.g., telehealth, smartphone applications, wearable sensors) to expand the reach and potential impact of mindfulness and other mind-body practices to prevent and treat problematic drug and alcohol use. Examples of expanding the reach and potential of these interventions might include approaches for intervening on a just-in-time basis; enhancing intervention cost-effectiveness, implementation, or scalability; and/or improving intervention access or effects for diverse and underserved populations.
To appropriately engage and reach populations struggling with addiction, we need to develop and test innovative treatment approaches that have a long-term impact. Integrating theoretically relevant intervention content (i.e., mindfulness and other mind-body practices) with digital technology provides the opportunity to test creative solutions to treat addiction. Digital technology allows us to conveniently reach individuals in their real-world environment, where substance use occurs, and mindfulness techniques aim to increase present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness. As such, we want to understand recent advances in science that incorporate elements of both digital technology and mindfulness/mind-body practices to ultimately reduce problematic substance use.
We encourage submissions that address a broad range of substances, including but not limited to tobacco, alcohol, opioids, and marijuana. Mindfulness and other mind-body practices are defined by approaches that utilize a present-moment, nonjudgmental focus, including meditative practices and movement (e.g., meditation, yoga, tai chi), and may also include mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention) and other evidenced-based approaches that utilize mindfulness as a primary component of the intervention (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy).
All article types will be considered for publication, with a primary focus on empirical manuscripts with an interventional emphasis, as well as conceptual papers, meta-analyses, review articles, and cohort studies. Pilot studies, experimental studies, and protocol papers will also be considered.
Annals of Medicine is an online, open-access, international journal publishing across all areas of medicine and is part of our Elevate Series. This means that you will receive a concierge-level publishing experience, including dedicated support from our expert in-house Editorial team, with guaranteed response times of within 48 hours, an initial decision on whether your article will be peer-reviewed within 5 working days, and a first decision on your research within an average of 22 working days.
