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What You Need to Know About Behavior Therapy


The behavior therapy is bade on the concept that maladaptive behaviors can be reduced and eventually get rid of by the adoption of new healthy behaviors. One paramount concept is that the person will choose to act based on past consequences as a result of their actions.

This basically means the person has decided to behave to a certain way, and if this is true, they will be able to eliminate negative behaviors.

If the way of doing things in the past let to positive outcome, the person is more likely to do that act again in the future. This is the reason why many people start abusing substances- once they associate with drugs or alcohol with the possibility of having a desire to abuse in the future.

Punishment and rewards can be used to encourage people to do healthy things. It has promoted methods such as token economy and aversion therapy.

The main goals of behavior therapy to manage and treat addiction include

  • Improve skills for healthy living
  • Alter behavior in relation to abuse of substance
  • Adjust attitude towards drug and alcohol abuse
  • Help a person get more from Malibu drug rehab and other treatment options
  • Encourage addicts to stay in treatment for a longer period
  • To enhance the impact of medications

Types of behavior therapy used to treat addiction

There are different types of behavior therapy that can help those who are struggling with addiction. They include;

  • Over sensitization

This is a process that involves pairing behavior with bad consequences. For instance, the Antabuse, which is a drug administered to alcoholic addicts to encourage them to quit drinking. If an alcoholic drinks while under this medication, he becomes very sick. Some other methods include electric shocks- it is less risky than Antabuse.

  • Covert sensitization

This is another form of aversion therapy. In this therapy, there are no attempts to pair undesirable consequences with a specific behavior, but the addict is supposed imagine a negative consequence.

  • A token economy

This is where a person is give a reward for doing good. The tokens are usually in the form of privileges or things that a person can exchange later.

  • Motivation interviewing

This technique involves encouraging and challenging an addict to take immediate action to change his behavior. The addict is taught on the seriousness of their addiction and tips through which they can escape the addiction.

Techniques of behavior therapy

There are many forms of behavior therapy technique. These techniques can increase the understanding of an addict, their present situation and encourage him to adapt healthy behavior.

Such techniques include;

  • Role playing

This technique allows an addict to improve his understanding of social interactions as well as adjust their behavior in response to this. For instance, the use of role play to develop drink refusal techniques.

  • Behavior modification

This is where the addict is given a reward for good behavior.

  • Self-monitoring

This is where the addict writes down his action in a journal. The addict then shares the journal with a therapist. For instance, an addict may be asked to record the number of times he has been drinking.

  • Scheduling of activities

This is where the addict agrees to take part in certain sessions before the main session begins. For instance, the individual may be encouraged to change his behavior in these sessions.

  • Behavior contracts

This is a technique where an addict is supposed to sign a contract not to take part in undesirable activity gain. If the addict breaks the contract, he will face severe consequences. There are also incentives for those who adhere to the terms of the contract.

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy

In the recent past, there has been a significant growth in cognitive behavioral therapy as a method to help addicts to quit addiction. It is a method that involves talking where the main focus is on empowering the addict to take charge of his feelings and thoughts.

Many of the issues that the addict faces will be because of faulty belief or thinking about himself and others. For example, a person may think that people don’t love him. Such a negative thought can make a person get into addiction.


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