PSYC 250 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Covert Conditioning, Alcohol Tolerance, Relapse Prevention
Document Summary
Most of the psychological treatments in alcoholism are based on the cognitive-behavioral model. This assumes that this substance is a powerful enhancer capable of maintaining alcohol self- administration. Thus, the cognitive-behavioral model offers an alternative to the classic approach to alcoholism as a disease and, therefore, to the medical model. The ultimate goal of psychological treatments in alcoholism is aimed at decreasing the person"s preference for alcohol, while increasing their preference for other activities that will enable them to maintain adaptive functioning in the long term. Another objective could be, depending on the patient we meet, her personal resources and the family or social environment, to train in a non-problematic use of the substance. It is what has been called controlled drinking. Currently, in psychological treatments in alcoholism we can differentiate two major blocks of intervention: those aimed at abstinence and those with the objective of achieving non-dangerous consumption, in a controlled way.
