Ethics of AT

• WEAKNESS:

  Risk of harm

  Evidence: Antabuse can have negative + serious side effects when mixed with alcohol

  -convulsions

  -heart failure

  -rapid smoking is unpleasant + risk to health

  Explain: Unethical compared to other treatments such as CBT

  EXT: Argued these risks are justified in terms of risks posed by alcohols,etc

  -without successful treatment addicts are more likely to have risk of harm to physical + psychological health
• STRENGTH:

  Long term benefits

  Evidence: Breaking serious addiction can bring benefits to

  -health

  -finances

  -personal relationships

  Explain: Benefits outweigh potential risks 

  -can be considered ethical approach to therapy

  -clients using AT given valid consent to take part in methods
• STRENGTH:

  Covert sensitisation is a recent ethical development

  Evidence: Covert sensitization involves client imagaining dreadful scenarios that could occur from their addiction

  -Imagining feeling sick when the client has urge to drink, for example

  Explain: Kraft

  -more ethical as it avoids unpleasant reactions to substances such as Antabuse
• WEAKNESS:

  Symptom substitution - only treats symptoms not cause

  Evidence: Negative association treats how the client feels towards focus of their addiction

  -doesn't treat underlying cause

  Explain: AT may appear to cure the person but the underlying problem may recur in the form of a different addiction or undesirable behavior - symptom substitution
• Conclusions

  • Relies on an aversive reaction stimulus  for unpleasant experience(risk of harm)
  • Should be undertaken with full informed consent
  • If successful can be viewed ethical due to the long term benefits of being free from addiction outweighs any short term distress as part of the therapy