Aversion Therapy - Rapid Smoking

• What is rapid smoking?

  > behavioural approach based on classical conditioning

  > replace association with nausea

  > smoke → pleasure → put cig in mouth → rapid smoking → nausea → desire to smoke is reduced
• What do the sessions entail?

  > clinical setting

  > smokes every 6 to 10 seconds for 3 minutes

  > delivers a much higher concentration of nicotine to brain

  > leads to nausea and dizziness

  > after a short break, it is repeated 3 times
• What is silver acetate?

  Leaves an unpleasant taste when a cigarette is smoked
• How long is the therapy?

  > 10 sessions over 4 weeks

  > includes counselling sessions or CBT
• PARAGRAPH 1

  AO1

  • what is AT + rapid smoking

  AO3

  + Danaher: effective for non married couples, effective in certain demographics

  Development point

  + only works for some

  AO3

  • Zhang: nicotine replacement therapy worked better

  Development point -

  • used a large sample of 4000 smokers, increases generalisability
• PARAGRAPH 2

  AO1

  • what do the sessions entail

  AO3

  + curative: if paired with CBT

  Development point

  + palliative without CBT

  AO3

  • side effects: headache + hyperventilation. Nicotine is a harmful substance so it could be medically negligible
• PARAGRAPH 3

  AO1

  • length of sessions

  AO3

  + time & accessibility: free on NHS, short - less likely to withdraw

  • high level of social control: therapist is in control
• CONCLUSION

  AO3

  + ethics: covert sensitisation is less invasive

  • ethics: invasive & extreme treatment, off putting for some