Behavioral Therapies Drug Abuse

Behavioral Therapies do assist people in being engaged in drug abuse treatment, and it always rewards them for remaining abstinent, thereby to modify their attitudes and behaviors which are associated with drug abuse. This also enhances their life skills to tackle stress related circumstances and environmental problems that may be a reason for the extreme craving for drugs and thereby initiate another cycle of compulsive abuse. Listed below are indeed a variety of behavioral therapies which have been depicted as effective in tackling the issue of substance abuse.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Alcohol, Marijuana, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Nicotine)

The Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is a method which was developed to restrict the issue of a drinking problem, and was later on, adapted for cocaine related addiction as well. These strategies are solely on the motion that learning processes have a pivotal role in the wholesome development of maladaptive behavioral patterns. Individuals indeed learn to correct their mistakes and thereby rectify their problematic behavioral pattern. This, they do by applying and trying out a plethora of skills which can be an effective prevention to the problem of drug abuse. Coginitive behavioral therapy basically adds up with a group of strategies which are aimed at improving self-control and thereby to invent techniques which consist of exploring the pros and cons of continued use. It also suggests strategies for coping with them at different situations.

A core of this treatment is expecting likely issues to arise and thereby, help patients combat such issues by using these coping strategies. Research has clearly shown that individuals pick up the skills they learn in Cognitive behavioral approach. These skills also get imbibed in them that it continues to be with them even after such therapy. Currently, researchers are making strides in how best the therapy can produce powerful effects in combination with the Cognitive approach. They are also analyzing the best way to coach treatment providers in delivering results in cognitive approach.

Community Reinforcement Approach

Plus Vouchers (Alcohol, Cocaine)

Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) Plus Vouchers is an exclusive 24-week outpatient therapy for the effective treatment to combat addiction of cocaine and alcohol. This treatment opens into 2 fold treatment based goals:-

• To have a self-restraint for quite a long time , so as to enable patients to learn new life skills and also help them sustain it

• To cut down on alcohol consumption of patients whose drinking habit is closely connected with the use of cocaine

Patients visit a 2 or more individual counseling sessions every wee, where the main focus lies with improving family relations, adapting to a plethora of skills to decrease drug abuse, and also coping with new recreational activities and developing social networks so as to improve the social interaction. Antabuse therapy is used for those who abuse alcohol. The value of these vouchers goes higher with continuous clean samples. The Patients may also use these vouchers to swap them for retail goods which are totally disassociated with the use of cocaine, and thereby promote a cocaine-free lifestyle.

This approach also helps the patient’s involvement in the treatment and helps them combat the problem of cocaine abstinence for a much longer period and increases the possibility of total prevention of the use of cocaine. It has been tested in urban and rural areas and it has quite a success, especially on those with high rates of intravenous cocaine abuse.

Contingency Management Interventions/Motivational Incentives

(Alcohol, Stimulants, Opioids,Marijuana, Nicotine)

Research has proved quite enough the effectiveness of the treatment which use contingency management principles, which also handing out to patients the chances to earn some low-cost incentives in exchange for their drug-free urine samples. These techniques include giving out prizes such as exchangeable vouchers for good items, movie passes, and other goods and personal items. The studies conducted in both methadone programs and psychological counseling based programs suggest that these programs are highly effective in tackling the problem of abstinence from drug abuse.

Some issues have been raised that such a prize based contingency management intervention could highly promote vices such as gambling and so on. It contains a fairly good chance which cannot be ruled out in any circumstance. Pathological gambling and substance use disorders can be comorbid. However, the studies have indeed established that there is no difference between gambling over time and between those who are given to the contingency management conditions and also between those in usual care groups , which clearly indicate that such a prize-based contingency management procedure does not promote hardcore behavior in gambling.