Introduction
Diagnosing a drug dependency or substance use condition requires careful examination and frequently includes an analysis by a psychologist, or a certified alcohol and drug consultant. Most mental health care providers use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) the American Psychiatric Association issued to diagnose substance use disorders (Park & Kim, 2019). People utilize intoxicants for various reasons, including relieving worry or pain. Quitting prescription drugs, alcohol, or other drug dependence disorders is a significant accomplishment. Psychological counseling is the cornerstone of substance abuse disorder treatment for several individuals. Therefore, this essay utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational intervention, and contingency management therapy as some of the strategies counselors could utilize in managing substance abuse individuals.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychological treatment that can be utilized to treat disorders involving substance use. CBT is often used to treat depression, emotional problems, phobias, and other cognitive diseases. It has also been demonstrated to be effective in treating alcoholism and drug addiction. The term contingency management (CM) describes a form of behavioral treatment in which clients are stimulated or compensated for demonstrating positive behavioral transformation.
CM has been extensively researched and assessed within substance use disorder treatment and frequently incorporates the supply of financial rewards for the presentation of drug-free urine samples (Bolívar et al., 2021). Motivational interviewing is a method of psychotherapy that facilitates a patient-centered dialogue to assist the individual in exploring whether there is a health-related habit to transition, how to implement the switch, and why to change the behaviors. By analyzing and addressing hesitation, the above approaches will increase the innate drive for change thus minimizing substance usage among people with substance use disorders (SUDs). The paper will conclude by highlighting the importance of the three methodologies in managing substance dependency.
Point One: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Psychologists have utilized CBT to teach individuals to recognize the self-destructive and negative attitudes and actions that drive substance abuse (Kamarzarin & Golestani, 2019). It is a concentrated, short-term treatment method to assist drug-dependent individuals in achieving abstinence. Although one may not be able to alter their surroundings, one can alter their perspective on oneself. According to CBT counselors, this assists patients in altering their emotions and behaviors.
Evidence
Skills Training
Skill training is an efficient CBT strategy that supports the stimulus-response (S-R) and reinforcement hypotheses of dependence. The concept implies that habit recurrence and the automaticity of substance use are historically the results of S-R conditioning and the establishment of drug-use patterns frequently carried out without contemplation. Habit soon causes each occurrence to call up its suitable replacement without any substitute proposal and recourse to conscious volition until the entire chain, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, is automatically recited as soon as A transpires (Bechara et al., 2019). People often use drugs or alcohol to cope with life pressure, trauma, anxiousness, despair, or other problems.
Evaluation
The objective of the skill instruction is to help the individual overcome cognitive distortions and learn or reestablish more effective coping mechanisms. By acquiring these abilities, people can start putting them in circumstances that might ordinarily lead to substance abuse. Working memory, the capacity to store and manage data, is a prefrontal cortex-mediated superior function responsible for higher-order cognition tasks such as attention, organization, and goal-directed action (Bechara et al., 2019). Psychologists stimulate the cortical, frontal, and temporal areas to improve working memory. Thus, replacing obsolete habits that predispose to substance addiction with more long-lasting activities improves performance and rehabilitation.
Link: Consequently, together with the skills learned under CBT, psychologists have also utilized contingency management techniques to manage substance abuse.
Point Two: Contingency Management Therapy
The phrase contingency management refers to a sort of behavioral treatment in which clients are encouraged or compensated for exhibiting positive behavioral change. CM has been extensively studied and evaluated in the treatment of substance-use disorders, and it typically involves the provision of monetary incentives for the presentation of drug-free urine tests. Once customized therapy objectives have been determined and agreed upon, a contract can be drafted. This agreement keeps an individual responsible and describes the contingency management service’s procedures. In drug rehabilitation, psychologists employ two types of reward-based systems.
Evidence
Subjects received a voucher for every drug-free urine sample and a negative breathalyzer test. Each coupon has a financial benefit that may subsequently be used to buy various commodities, solutions, and sale items that might be part of a healthy, sober life. Examples include apparel, equipment, food, and restaurant gift cards. Using price incentives, at least once each week, customers draw a cash reward from a fishbowl during this period (Bolívar et al., 2021). Some cards may contain phrases of encouragement, while others may have incentives spanning from one dollar to one hundred dollars or more.
Evaluation
The vouchers’ value increases as a subject continues to have adverse medical reports. This therapy is helpful for opioid and drug addicts, with a particular advantage for those with cocaine use disorders. Prize opportunities do not promote the rehabilitation of individuals to participate in gambling. Therefore, psychologists may also give clients new rights to reward excellent behavior. Positive reinforcement is often delayed if there is an absent or positive specimen; this action is frequently considered a reprimand. For example, an individual with a positive urine sample would not obtain a card for a cash prize lottery.
Link: Rewards may be used in conjunction with motivational intervention to enable psychologists to manage drug addiction.
Point Three: Motivational Intervening
Individuals with inappropriate drug dependency frequently have conflicting sensations and opinions about their smoking, drug usage, and alcohol consumption. While they may be aware of the harmful effects of substance use, drug addicts also derive pleasure from intoxication, loss of inhibition, and social interaction. Until their opinion of the risks and benefits of substance use changes, they often stay divided or hesitant about altering their habit, motivational interviewing focuses on recognizing and addressing this ambivalence (Ii et al., 2019). Participation, focusing, invoking, and strategizing is essential motivational interviewing strategies.
Evidence
Using a pleasant, non-threatening tone, psychologists who use this technique establish rapport with their patients and engage them in conversation. They uncover the patient’s opinions and emotions regarding various current behaviors, how these actions align with the participant’s aspirations and principles, and whether the client can conceive alternatives to the existing behaviors (Ii et al., 2019). During this phase, psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors concentrate on the specific adjustments the patient desires to make and tailor the schedule to the patient’s objectives (Ii et al., 2019). Change talk is when the psychologist collects the patient’s motivations and rationale for potential changes.
Evaluation
A crucial ability for the psychotherapist is to focus more on changing talk than sustaining it through evocation, reflection, and reinforcement. Once a person has made up their mind to change, there is a good chance that they will be able to do so on their own. Thus, although not required, motivational interviewing has helped counselors incorporate planning and activation stages as motivational interviewing focuses more on the ‘whether’ and ‘why’ to reform than the ‘how,’ the persuasive psychologist may keep assisting the individual as they make adjustments.
Link: The above-mentioned techniques used by psychologists in managing drug dependency can be summarized as follows in the preceding section.
Conclusion
Diagnosing a drug dependency or substance use disorder requires a thorough evaluation and typically involves an assessment by a psychologist or a qualified alcohol and drug specialist. CBT is a form of psychological psychotherapy that can be used to address substance use disorders. Stress, psychological trauma, phobias, and other mental conditions are frequently treated with CBT. The stimulus-response (S-R) and incentive models of dependency are supported by skill training and a practical CBT approach.
The term contingency management refers to behavioral interventions in which clients are rewarded or motivated for exhibiting good behavioral change. Clinicians deploy two types of reward-based approaches in rehabilitation programs. For every drug-free urine test and negative breathalyzer examination, voucher-based reinforcement consists of a coupon. Each voucher has a monetary value that can be applied to purchasing different goods, remedies, and sale products that contribute to a healthy, sober lifestyle.
Motivational interviewing is a psychotherapy technique that allows a patient-centered discussion to aid the client in determining whether there is health-related conduct or set of acts to alter, how to execute the transformation, and most importantly, why to modify the behavior. The three approaches discussed in the essay, help drug addicts recognize unhelpful thinking so that they can better handle difficult situations. Moreover, the advantage of the three methodologies is that they replace outdated habits that lead to SUDs with more productive and durable activities to encourage long-term recovery. However, a weakness of the techniques is that they require scheduled sessions and may not be ideal for individuals with more complicated mental health issues or learning disabilities. It is vital for individuals to understand the important role psychology plays in the treatment of SUDs. Therefore, further research needs to be done to explain the gap in the management of persons with sophisticated medical conditions who develop SUDs.
References
Bechara, A., Berridge, K. C., Bickel, W. K., Morón, J. A., Williams, S. B., & Stein, J. S. (2019). A neurobehavioral approach to addiction: Implications for the opioid epidemic and the psychology of addiction. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 20(2), 96-127. Web.
Bolívar, H. A., Klemperer, E. M., Coleman, S. R., DeSarno, M., Skelly, J. M., & Higgins, S. T. (2021). Contingency management for patients receiving medication for opioid use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(10), 1092-1102. Web.
Ii, T., Sato, H., Watanabe, N., Kondo, M., Masuda, A., Hayes, S. C., & Akechi, T. (2019). Psychological flexibility-based interventions versus first-line psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13, 109-120. Web.
Kamarzarin, H., & Golestani, E. (2019). The effectiveness of CBT on methadone consumption and general health in Opium addicts. Iranian Journal of Health Psychology, 2(2), 81-88. Web.
Park, S. C., & Kim, Y. K. (2019). Diagnostic issues of depressive disorders from Kraepelinian dualism to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Psychiatry Investigation, 16(9), 636-644. Web.