Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders: Through the Stage Model and Back Again PMC

cbt interventions for substance abuse

Levo-alpha acetylmethadol (LAAM) is an opioid agonist analog, which approved for the long-term maintenance of opiate dependence disorders by the FDA in 1993 [23]. Like methadone, LAAM has demonstrated effects to prevent opiate withdrawal and block the effects of heroin use. LAAM has low abuse potential, but its use is rare because of some findings of potential adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, regulatory and insurance issues, and clinic acceptance [24].

Behavioral Therapy Techniques Based on Operant

Some clients continue to use skills that areappropriate at an earlier age but are no longer appropriate or effective.Others have appropriate coping skills available to them but are inhibitedfrom using them. Whatever the origin of the deficits, a primary goal of CBTis to help the individual develop and employ coping skills that effectivelydeal with the demands of high-risk situations without having to resort tosubstances as an alternative response. Based on a review of the information collected through self-monitoring,subsequent sessions involve negotiation about treatment goals.

cbt interventions for substance abuse

Duration of treatment

  • The main outcome measures were the percentage of days/month that the client did not drink and the number of drinks they had in each drinking session.
  • CRA’s application tosubstances other than alcohol also appears to have been successful (Higgins et al., 1998).
  • More researchneeds to be conducted looking at the effect of treatment duration on theefficacy of these therapies.
  • Consensus about conducting an intervention to prescribed levels of adherence and competence is emerging [127], and models of training are being developed and compared [123,128].

CBT is often rated as the most effective approach to treatment with a drug and alcohol population.[24,25] and is accepted well by clients.[26] Evidence for the efficacy of CBT exists for a range of substances including alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin and injecting drug use. Psychosocial interventions can be used in a variety of treatment settings either as stand-alone treatments or in combination with pharmacological intervention. They can be implemented individually or in groups and delivered by a range of health workers. Psychosocial treatments are considered to be the foundation of drug and alcohol treatment, especially for substances where pharmacological treatments have not been sufficiently evaluated.

How Effective is CBT for Alcohol Addiction?

cbt interventions for substance abuse

In general, BIs are targeted at problematic or risky substance use and are not intended to treat people with serious substance use problems/those who are addicted or dependent. However, patients with more serious dependence problems may be referred to a specialized drug treatment agency. Because of the brief nature of these interventions, they can be delivered opportunistically like when a patient presents in primary care, general hospital and so on, in both inpatient and outpatient settings by a range of specialist and generalist professionals who have been trained the use of these approaches. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been found efficacious for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.

Cue exposure treatment

cbt interventions for substance abuse

Whereas only 2 percent of the control groupevidenced a decrease in the frequency of drug-positive urines, clients inthe incentive program decreased use between 14 and 18 percent. O’Brien and colleagues found that cocaine-dependent clients showed theprototypical arousal and craving responses when first presented drug-relatedcues https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that reminded them of their drug use (O’Brien et al., 1990). By the sixth 1-hour treatment session, they nolonger reported either subjective highs or physiological withdrawal. By the15th session, all clients reported that they no longer experienced cravingwhen presented with the drug-related cues.

  • MET was found to be briefer (four sessions) than the other therapies and just as effective in Project MATCH.
  • Implementation researchers such as Drake et al [137] may provide addiction research with more developed measurement, methodologies, and strategies to address barriers and facilitators to practice adoption and sustainability.
  • Upon 3-month follow-up those who received MI reported significantly fewer days of alcohol use than those who did not receive MI; however, significant differences were not found for cigarette or cannabis use indicating that the extent of benefit of MI is more modest than that identified by efficacy research studies.
  • The evidence base for psychological treatment needs to be expanded and should also include research on optimal combinations of psychological therapies and any particular matching effects, if any.
  • CBT for AOD has a rich theoretical foundation, including general cognitive and behavioral theories, specific models of CBT for AOD (eg, Marlatt and Gordon’s Relapse Prevention Model), and numerous manuals to facilitate training and delivery with fidelity.

Despite these findings, many trials have not found CBT to enhance coping or self-efficacy to a greater degree than comparison conditions, raining questions about the uniqueness of these mechanisms (Litt et al., 2008). Thus, consistent support for CBTs putative mechanisms of action remain elusive, as it does for many interventions (Emmelkamp et al., 2014). Skills building can be broadly conceptualized as targeting cbt interventions for substance abuse interpersonal, emotion regulation, and organizational/problem-solving deficits. Clinical trials examining the addition of coping and communication skills training have demonstrated positive outcomes and are common components of CBT for substance abuse.[60, 61] The use of strategies should be based on case conceptualization, building from patient report and behavioral observation of such deficits.

cbt interventions for substance abuse

  • One outcome of the Blending Initiative was the inception of the Clinical Trials Network (CTN), a 17 site regional research and training center which collaborates with many community treatment programs to study the effectiveness of specific interventions in diverse community settings and patient populations.
  • Common elements of behavioral treatments based on theories ofoperant learning include contingency management, behavior contracting, communityreinforcement, and behavioral self-control training.
  • Theseinclude attributions, appraisals, self-efficacy expectancies, andsubstance-related effect expectancies.
  • This work is an overview and should therefore be viewed as such, as some relevant studies may have been excluded.

A Case Study Using CBT

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