Aims. To investigate whether heroin addicts demonstrate shortened time
horizons and decreased sensitivity to future consequences of their be
havior compared to non-drug users. Design Setting and Participants. Th
irty-four heroin addicts enrolled in a buprenorphine treatment clinic
and 59 non-drug-using controls completed a personality questionnaire a
nd two laboratory tasks. Measurements. The Stanford Time Perception In
ventory (STPI) personality questionnaire assessed orientation to the f
uture, and the Future Time Perspective (FTP) task elicited predictions
of the timing and ordering of future events. The Bechara card task me
asured preferences for decks of cards that range in magnitude and prob
ability of delayed and immediate rewards and punishers. Findings. Hero
in addicts scored significantly lower than controls on the STPI scale
indicative of future orientation. In the FTP, heroin addicts were less
likely to predict events far into the future and less likely to syste
matically organize events in the future. In the card task, heroin addi
cts were less likely to win money than controls. They were more likely
to play fr om a deck that contained greater immediate gains but that
resulted in large, delayed punishers and overall net losses. They also
made fewer selections from a deck that provided an overall net gain v
ia relatively low immediate rewards and frequent small punishments. Co
nclusions. Shortened rime horizons and decreased sensitivity to delaye
d consequences may explain drug abusers' persistent use of drugs, desp
ite the long-term negative consequences associated with drug use.