Background: Exercise has been recognized as a promising and emerging treatment for individuals recovering from addiction. The purpose of this article was to systematically review scientific studies using exercise as a means to improve, sustain, or treat addictions, and to provide suggestions for the future use of exercise as a treatment method for…

Objective: It is well known to clinicians and researchers in the field of alcoholism that patients vary with respect to drinking goal. The objective in this study was to elucidate the contribution of drinking goal to treatment outcome in the context of specific behavioral and pharmacological interventions. Method: Participants were 1,226…

This study aimed to examine (a) the impact of the change in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" ("DSM") from a categorical to dimensional classification of substance use diagnoses, (b) the elimination of the legal criterion, and (c) the inclusion of a craving criterion in the "DSM"-5.…

Objective: Many trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence, yet few studies have examined why particular treatments are effective. This study was designed to evaluate whether drink refusal training was an effective component of a combined behavioral intervention (CBI) and whether change…

Substance abuse researchers identify self-efficacy and group cohesion as important components in alcohol and other drug-dependency treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this single-group, pretest-posttest study is to explore the therapeutic value of a challenge course intervention on the self-efficacy and group cohesion of nine chemically…

The therapeutic educator who provides services to driving while impaired (DWI) offenders is a unique professional hybrid, combining education and therapeutic service delivery. In an effort to understand and address this service provider, a 69-item DWI Therapeutic Educator Inventory (DTEI) was constructed. Using principal components and common…

Objective: Negative affect is a significant predictor of alcohol relapse, and the relation between negative affect and drinking has been shown to be strongly mediated by alcohol craving. Thus, targeting craving during treatment could potentially attenuate the relation between negative affect and drinking. Method: The current study is a secondary…

Pharmacotherapy medications can reduce the likelihood of relapse, decrease craving intensity and severity of withdrawal symptoms, and bolster the likelihood of achieving and maintaining recovery goals for many individuals seeking recovery from alcohol dependence. An overview of the benefits and concerns of integrating pharmacotherapeutic…

Psychotherapy research usually describes how client change is caused by therapist interventions. This article describes how clients change by continuing to use and revising the strategies for change that they bring with them when they first enter therapy. This article presents data from a qualitative diary study of psychotherapy. Three cases…

Forty-eight patients undergoing inpatient detoxification for alcohol dependence were assigned to either brief advice (BA) to attend Alcoholics Anonymous or a motivational enhancement for 12-step involvement (ME-12) intervention that focused on increasing involvement in 12-step self-help groups. Attendance at 12-step groups did not differ…

There is extensive empirical and theoretical support for a link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. Recent innovations in the assessment of these constructs have shown a strong temporal link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. The majority of men participating in batterer intervention programs have alcohol problems,…

Married or cohabiting female alcoholic patients (n = 138) and their non-substance-abusing male partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 equally intensive interventions: (a) behavioral couples therapy plus individual-based treatment (BCT; n = 46), (b) individual-based treatment only (IBT; n = 46), or (c) psychoeducational attention control…

Methodological characteristics and outcomes of 14 controlled clinical investigations of integrated psychosocial and opioid-antagonist alcohol dependence treatment were evaluated. The 14 studies were identified through computerized bibliographic and manual literature searches. Clients receiving integrated psychosocial and opioid-antagonist…

Deaf teenagers have more trouble coping with the effects of parental alcohol abuse than do hearing teenagers. Suggestions are made for helping the deaf teenager and other family members deal with these problems, especially in potentially violent situations. Two short case studies are provided to illustrate intervention methods and outcomes.…

The relationship between the nonspecific factors of therapeutic alliance and motivation with outcome has been demonstrated across treatment modalities, and specifically in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The present study was designed to evaluate the association of these factors with treatment outcome in a preliminary sample of problem…