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Alcohol Treatment Research: Computer Programs Could Help Drug Abusers Stay Abstinent

Drug abusers who used a computer-assisted training program in addition to receiving traditional counselling stayed abstinent significantly longer than those who received counselling alone, a Yale University study has found.

77 people who sought treatment for drug and alcohol abuse were randomly assigned to receive traditional counseling or to get computer-assisted training based on principles of cognitive behavioural therapy as well as sessions with a therapist.

The subjects who received computer-assisted training had significantly fewer positive drug tests at the conclusion of the study, reported Kathleen M. Carroll, professor of psychiatry and lead author of the study.

"We think this is a very exciting way of reaching more people who may have substance use problems and providing a means of helping them learn effective ways to change their behaviour," Carroll said.

Cognitive behavioural therapy concentrates on teaching skills and strategies to help people change behaviour patterns and has been proven to be effective way to treat a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. However, such therapy is not widely available for people with substance use problems, Carroll said.

Also, many counsellors lack the time or training to fully implement cognitive behavioural therapies for their patients, she said. She and her team at the Yale School of Medicine developed a software program to help supplement counselling in drug addiction as well as other psychiatric disorders.

The computer-assisted therapy program consists of text, audio, and videotaped examples designed to help the user learn new ways of avoiding the use of drugs and changing other problem behaviours.

The study volunteers had sought treatment at a substance abuse clinic in Bridgeport, Ct. and met diagnostic criteria for a substance use problem, with alcohol, cocaine, opioids or marijuana. Those assigned to computer-assisted training were exposed to six lessons, or modules, that they accessed from a computer located at the treatment program. Each module included a brief movie that presented a particular challenge to the subjects' ability to resist substance use − such as the offer of drugs from a dealer. The narrator of the module then presented different skills and strategies to avoid drug use and also show videotapes of individuals employing those strategies.

The findings were reported in the May edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

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