Loss of activities and its effect on the well-being of substance abusers.

Aims: Participation in everyday activities positively influences well-being, but few have studied how participation in activities influences well-being among patients with substance use disorders. The authors examined the number of past, recent, and desired future activities of patients being admitted to five units for inpatient substance abuse treatment at a Norwegian university hospital.

Major Findings: The total number of activities had dropped significantly compared with before the respondents started abusing substances, and the respondents desired an increase in activities in the future.