Reducing Addiction

• Drug Therapy:

  :) RTS Stead (NRT)

  > reviewed 150 studies that compared NRT with a placebo - found all forms of NRT (gum, patches etc) were significantly more effective in helping smokers quit than placebos or no treatment at all

  > supports the effectiveness of drug therapy
• Drug Therapy:

  :) requires little motivation

  > patient only has to wear a patch or chew gum to reduce addiction, unlike CBT, which requires motivation and commitment

  > patient has to commit to attending sessions and completing homework, so they may stop treatment

  > drug therapy may be more appropriate
• Drug Therapy:

  :( negative side effects

  > side effects of these drugs include sleep disturbance, dizziness and headaches, which may cause an individual to stop treatment and relapse

  > unlike CBT, which is non-invasive by identifying and challenging irrational thoughts that lead to addiction

  > drug therapy may be ineffective
• Drug Therapy:

  :( does not get to root cause (aeitology)

  > the individual still has the nicotine addiction when using NRT, it is just coming from a less toxic source

  > if the root cause of the addiction is stress from childhood trauma, NRT will not tackle this

  > drug therapy does not completely treat an addiction
• Behavioural Interventions:

  :) RTS McConaghy

  > compared electric shock aversion therapy with covert sensitisation in treating gambling addiction - in a 1 year follow up, those who had received covert sensitisation were significantly more likely to have reduced gambling (90% compared to 30% in aversion therapy)

  > covert sensitisation is more effective in treating gambling addiction compared to aversion therapy
• Behavioural Interventions - Aversion Therapy:

  :( ethical issues

  > aversion therapy (e.g. rapid smoking, electric shocks) could cause physical or psychological harm, such as making the, physically sick or giving them shocks

  > covert sensitisation may be more appropriate as it is carried out in a vitro experience (imaginary), which reduces harm

  discussion - aversion therapy may be ethical, as it is less dangerous than addiction (benefits outweigh costs)
• Behavioural Interventions - Covert Sensitisation:

  :) non-invasive

  > for example, if an individual is pregnant, covert sensitisation is unlikely to harm the foetus, unlike aversion therapy, as stress and pain from the mother during pregnancy can lead to negative effects on the baby

  > covert sensitisation may be more appropriate
• Behavioural Interventions:

  :( require motivation

  > patient has to commit to attending sessions and working with the therapist to unlearn their addictive behaviour, whilst placing themselves in aversive situations

  > unlike drug therapy - patient only has to take a tablet or wear a patch to reduce their addiction

  > individuals may drop out of behavioural interventions, which reduces their effectiveness
• CBT:

  :) RTS Perty

  > randomly allocated gamblers to a control group who received Gamblers Anonymous meetings, or a treatment condition who received GA meetings and an 8-week CBT programme

  > patients in the treatment condition were gambling significantly less than control group, which demonstrates the effectiveness of CBT
• CBT:

  :( requires motivation

  > patient has to commit to CBT sessions over months to challenge their irrational thoughts that cause their addiction, and complete homework such as avoidance strategies

  > unlike drug therapy - patient only has to take a tablet or wear a patch to reduce their addiction

  > CBT may be less appropriate (people may drop out)
• CBT:

  :) avoids chemical dependence

  > patients are taught the skills to identify and challenge their own cognitive distortions which are causing addiction e.g. feeling they cannot cope without the substance/behaviour

  > unlike drug therapy, where the patient is dependent on drugs to control their addiction by regulating levels of nicotine or dopamine

  > CBT may be more appropriate