An addiction is a cycle of compulsive substance use that significantly impacts our daily living. Counseling and more specialized psychotherapies (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing) seek to change behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and how people see and understand situations. Medications for substance use disorders provide significant relief for many people and help manage symptoms to the point where people can use other strategies to pursue recovery. There also has been an increasing interest in mindful meditation as a potent complement to an addiction treatment regimen. Research has shown that participation in an mindfulness-based intervention such as the 8-week class in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can reduce substance misuse and craving by modulating thoughts, feelings and body sensations integral to self-regulation and reward processing. In fact, the magnitude of its impact is commensurate with cognitive-behavioral therapy! For many people, the most effective behavioral health approach involves a combination of counseling and medication. Early treatment is best. A trained professional should do a full evaluation to make the diagnosis. No single treatment works best. Treatments must address each person’s needs and symptoms. For more information about addiction treatment and support, please visit SAMHSA.gov