title: Loss of activities and its effect on the well-being of substance abusers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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. A lower level of well-being as measured by the WHO-5 was predicted by a more pronounced drop in number of activities from past to recent and by more severe use of alcohol and other substances. Principal conclusion. Substance abuse is associated with a change in number of activities. Losing activities may contribute to a decrease in well-being. Helping substance abuse patients regain positive activities could improve well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Substance Use and Specialized Psychiatric Services, University Hospital of Northern Norway, Tromsø, Norway. ellen.hoxmark@unn.no
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoxmark
authors.forename: Trude Nydal
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Wynn
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wynn
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006802:Human Activities / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult