Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a self-love program in order to investigate the effectiveness of the self-love program when applied for the treatment of drug abuse. The self-love program was administerd to fourteen drug-abusing criminals under supervision by the probation office. The main topics of the self-love program include the following: understanding, "Who am I?"; care of one's body; finding quality worlds and one's self merit; planning the future when one is aware of one's true self-wish; being able to forgive others; being able to forgive one's self; praising others and themselves for merit; to comprehend the positive and negative aspects of drug abuse; the management of stress and finding new pleasures; effective relationships with others; contemplating the meaning of life; and to be able to envision a mental picture of the patients' futures. The procedures for applying this self-love program included the use of breath-counting meditation, a lecture, individual group discussions related to the above topics, the concluding impressions about the program by group members, and finally, breath-counting meditation. The group was assessed during the pre and post periods of the program in order to verify the effectiveness of the program. The results showed that the self-love program reduced drug abuser's depression and increased the subjective well being and self-esteem of the drug abusers. In addition, the program determined that drug abusers exhibited signs of self-love, self-understanding, personal relationships, and an increased desire to abstain from the use of drugs. In conclusion, it was determined that the self-love program is an effective and viable treatment for drug abusers.