More Than Meditation: The Role of Dispositional Mindfulness in Alcohol and Marijuana-Related Problems

Mindfulness refers to experiencing one’s self and environment in a conscious and unbiased manner focusing on the temporary, passing quality of thoughts, feelings, and life. Treatment providers have employed mindfulness-based interventions to manage issues including stress, depression, and substance abuse. Greater dispositional mindfulness has been correlated with lesser severity of gambling problems, begging the question of how it may be related to other areas of addictive and compulsive behaviors. The present study found significant relationships between dispositional mindfulness, alcohol use, and marijuana use. Regression analyses revealed that dispositional mindfulness acts as a protective factor against problems related to alcohol use beyond what is mediated by usage alone and Five Factor personality models. Implications for the usage of dispositional mindfulness in treatment interventions and further research are discussed