PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a group counseling program using neurolinguistic programming (NLP) for individuals abusing alcohol. METHODS: In a quasi-experimental study, 48 participants were recruited from five alcohol medical centers. The NLP group counseling program was provided to the experimental group for 90 minute sessions twice a week for 5 weeks. Pre-post data were collected from November, 2014 to April, 2015. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and independent t-tests. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, participants in the experimental group showed significantly decreasing scores for depression (t=−2.19, p=.033) and alcohol craving (t=−3.59, p=.001). Participants in the experimental group also showed improved self-efficacy related to drinking refusal (t=3.05, p=.004). CONCLUSION: Study findings support using the NLP group counseling program with patients abusing alcohol as it is effective in improving depression, drinking refusal self-efficacy, and craving. Therefore, the NLP group counseling program is a useful nursing intervention to prevent relapse in alcoholics.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism ; Counseling ; Craving ; Depression ; Drinking ; Humans ; Neurolinguistic Programming ; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Nursing ; Recurrence ; Self Efficacy

The two basic scripts of the Korean writing system, Hanja (the logography of the traditional Korean character) and Hangul (the more newer Korean alphabet), have been used together since the 14th century. While Hanja character has its own morphemic base, Hangul being purely phonemic without morphemic base. These two, therefore, have substantially different outcomes as a language as well as different neural responses. Based on these linguistic differences between Hanja and Hangul, we have launched two studies; first was to find differences in cortical activation when it is stimulated by Hanja and Hangul reading to support the much discussed dual-route hypothesis of logographic and phonological routes in the brain by fMRI (Experiment 1). The second objective was to evaluate how Hanja and Hangul affect comprehension, therefore, recognition memory, specifically the effects of semantic transparency and morphemic clarity on memory consolidation and then related cortical activations, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (Experiment 2). The first fMRI experiment indicated relatively large areas of the brain are activated by Hanja reading compared to Hangul reading. The second experiment, the recognition memory study, revealed two findings, that is there is only a small difference in recognition memory for semantic transparency, while for the morphemic clarity was much larger between Hanja and Hangul. That is the morphemic clarity has significantly more effect than semantic transparency on recognition memory when studies by fMRI in correlation with behavioral study.
Adult ; Brain/*physiology ; Brain Mapping/*methods ; Brain Waves/*physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neurolinguistic Programming ; Recognition (Psychology)/physiology ; Writing