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Recent research suggests that the use of interactive technology can play a significant role in the treatment of people with drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction treatment has often been seen as an intensely personal matter that relies exclusively on the interaction between people. However, professionals within the addiction therapy world are beginning to embrace technology as a way to enhance and improve the types of treatments that are available at drug rehab centers. A few recent studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have shown promise in reinforcing concepts that are a part of substance abuse programs. The Computer-Based Training for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is an interactive computer program developed by Dr. Kathleen Carroll and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine for use in an addiction center or post-addiction counseling. It involves a video showing a person confronted with different potential triggers for drug use and then using various techniques to avoid falling into the trap of a relapse. During an eight-week trial of the program at an outpatient drug and alcohol rehab center, patients who used the program were almost 50 percent more likely to submit drug-free urine samples than patients who didn't. Another technology tool tested by the NIDA that is useful for a drug rehab facility is the interactive multimedia version of Community Reinforcement Approach with Vouchers therapy (CRA+). This tool is designed to help people strengthen their social relationships, a valuable component of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. It uses video of a person becoming progressively more confident in their refusal to take drugs when tempted with certain situations after an on-screen narrator provides strategies for dealing with the situation. There are different program modules that deal with familiar situations a person in drug and alcohol rehabs might deal with, including dealing with family relationships or work-related problems. The program is tied to drug urine samples, with machines programmed to print out rewards (such as coupons or gift certificates) for completing sections and having a negative urine sample. - Annabeth Morrison is a freelance writer living in Port Royal, Pennsylvania. She has written for major magazines, newspapers and online news sites.
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