Published Paper Details:

Introduction: Alcohol consumption is widely gaining attention owing to its potential for addiction and health implications. There is a high pervasiveness of alcoholism in Pondicherry, Union Territory, India. Alcohol misuse leads to numerous social, economic, and health problems. Besides, motor vehicle accidents, dementia, depression, homicide, and suicide are alcohol use disorders. A significant block to recovery from alcoholism is substantial alcohol craving and its chronic relapsing nature. Aim: To study brief and daily adjuvant yoga therapy's effects on craving in patients undergoing an alcohol de-addiction program at de-addiction clinic, department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute (MGMC&RI) in Pondicherry. Settings and design: 71 male patients undergoing an alcohol de-addiction program were recruited as subjects and randomly divided into Group A, who received Yoga therapy as per the CYTER protocol for a minimum of 7 daily sessions of 1.5 hours each session, daily counseling, warm-ups (Jathis) and standard medication, and Group B, who only received standard medical management. Methods and materials: Alcohol Craving Questionnaire (ACQ SF-R) was administered to all patients before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was carried out using JASP-0.9.2.0 software. Wilcoxon test was performed for intragroup comparisons, and the Mann-Whitney test was performed for intergroup comparison to arrive at the p values. Results: The scores in the intergroup comparisons were as follows: Craving-Compulsivity (p=0.0892), Craving-Expectancy (p=0.0069), Craving-Purposefulness (p<0.0001), Craving-Emotionality (p=0.0126), Craving-General craving (p<0.0001). Whereas, in the intragroup comparisons, the scores were as follows: Craving-Compulsivity (p<0.001), Craving-Expectancy (p<0.001), Craving-Purposefulness (p<0.001), Craving-Emotionality (p<0.001), Craving-General craving (p<0.001) Conclusion: The present study supports previous studies on benefits of Yoga and concludes that yoga therapy helps in managing craving levels of patients of Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS).