Aversion therapy

• It is based on the principles of classical conditioning
• Through classical conditioning, addicts will learn to associate their addiction with an unpleasant stimulus, overtime the things they are addicted to will inflict an unpleasant response, rather than the pleasure previously experienced
• Antabuse ?

  it is a drug that is given to those who have an alcohol addiction as it is ethically questionable and questions safety if it is given to others that have a different addiction
• how does Antabuse work ?

  Antabuse works by blocking the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, causing unpleasant symptoms when alcohol is consumed. ie effecting the way in which alcohol is metabolised within the body
• alcohol is usually broken down by an enzyme called acetaldehyde which is further broken down by an enzyme within the liver. antabuse stops this breakdown and causes a buildup of acetaldehyde which causes unpleasant symptoms, such as sweating, vomiting and heart palpitations
• how long does it take for Antabuse to work ?

  it works within 10 minuets of a person consuming alcohol and lasts a few hours.
• how can Antabuse help avoid relapse ?

  once the unpleasant association has been made, an individual will avoid contact with the addictive behaviour and may also avoid triggers associated i.e pubs
• the NICE guidelines on the usage of Antabuse ?

  • suggested this treatment should be done after an individual has already undergone withdrawal
  • given a dose of 100mg but it can be increased
  • individual must remain on supervision every 2 weeks for the first 2 months and for the next 4 months, you must be careful of alcohol in other medicines or mouthwash that may trigger the Antabuse
• Antabuse implants

  Individuals may simply just avoid their medication rather than their addiction, in order to prevent this Antabuse implant have been introduced which are inserted within the lower abdomen and gives a steady and slow release of Antabuse into the system, however this raises ethical issues and is not available in uk
• Rapid smoking

  Form of aversion therapy that Is used for Smoking addicts. They sit in a room And take a puff of a cigarette every 6 seconds until they finish a specific number, or until they feel sick.
• how can rapid smoking help addiction ?

  they will associate smoking with an unpleasant feeling (nausea) and will no longer want to smoke.
• rapid smoking process ?

  unconditioned stimulus is not a drug but the unpleasant feeling - intensive smoking creates unconditioned response of disgust or feeling sick
• effectiveness - Staffen 


  Compared Antabuse to placebo and assessed participants using self report method and screening for 90 days. Found that Antabuse patients had significantly higher abstinence duration than placebo group
• supporting evidence - rapid smoking - McRobbie

  100 smoker attended a clinic where rapid smoking was compared to a control group just watching a video about giving up smoking. The rapid smokers showed a significant decrease in their urge to smoke in 24 hours and weeks After. 4 weeks after the difference between groups was no longer significant - long term abstinence is unclear
• Behavioural therapies such as this one are usually criticised for not acctualy treating the underlying cause of addiction, such as a cognitive bias. So an individual may just switch their addiction to another addiction.
• what could be a more effective treatment programme ?

  cognitive behavioural therapy as it addressed the underlying causes