Components of AT

• Counterconditioning 

  • Client is presented with an aversive stimulus - something like an electric shock or drug which will cause them to feel pain or sickness
  • This is paired repeatedly with the undesirable behaviour - this is the addictive behaviour
  • Now the client associates their undesirable behaviour with a new negative response
• Covert sensitization

  • Less commonly used 
  • Client needs to use their imagination rather than a direct exposure to aversive stimuli
  • An example is alcoholics imaging upsetting or repulsive scenarios
  • Clients may additonally be asked to imagine scenarios that get progressively worse
  • An example of this is the client imagining being sick, then being sick on someone else, then falling and seriously hurting themselves whilst drunk.
• Different forms of aversive stimulus

  Antabuse:

  • Drugs that affects how the body breaks down alcohol by blocking the action of the enzyme ‘aldehyde dehydrogenase’
  • Causes a buildup of acetaldehyde, a toxin, that causes unpleasant psychological effects such as sweating,headaches
  • So when a person taking Antabuse drinks alcohol they feel unwell within the 10 minutes of drinking, therefore alcohol becomes associated with a negative reaction rather than positive
  • Stays in system for 14 days
• Rapid smoking - treat smoking addictions

  • Smokers take a puff of the cigarette every 6 seconds until they finish a specific number or feel sick
  • Idea is that the person will associate the unpleasant feeling/sickness with the cigarettes and develop an aversion
  • Reated over several sessions in order to make a strong enough association to develop a severe association
• Electric shock therapy - behavioural addictions e.g. gambling

  • The addict either takes part in their usual activity or watches a video of the behaviour
  • At the same time the person receives painful electric shocks 
  • Intensively repeated until the negative association is created