Mindfulness training rewired how brains in addiction treatment respond to drug cues — and cravings fell

Recovery is often a battle against reminders: a street corner, a photo, a stressful hour. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai tested an eight-week programme called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement in 86 people receiving residential treatment for opioid addiction, alongside their established medicines. Brain scans, published in JAMA Psychiatry, showed participants shifting their responses away from drug images and toward everyday rewards — and the bigger that shift, the bigger the drop in craving. At follow-up about four months later, the group also showed longer abstinence. The study was small, and larger trials are needed — but it shows a mechanism, not just a hope.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation