therapeutic approaches to Alcoholism

The most popular individual therapeutic approaches used to treat alcoholism "motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and 12-step counseling" (Ball, 2003, p. 117) are based on the use of cognitive processes. In the case of MI, therapists utilize various types of questions to shift encourage patients to replace their alcoholic lifestyle with healthy behavior. At the beginning of the therapy, therapists inform patients about the different stages of readiness for change. They also pose questions that explore the patients' challenges and anxieties, affirm their strengths and self-efficacy and acknowledge their needs. For the second half of the therapeutic process, therapists then utilize specific questions to: assess the level of readiness of the patients; examine the positive and negative aspects of the non-alcoholic and the alcoholic lifestyles respectively; anticipate changes in the future; and develop plans for change. The patients' resistance to these changes are also explored and discussed.

Based on the above description, it is evident that MI employs cognitive restructuring processes to persuade patients to move from contemplating about change to implementing action. During the process, therapists need to be able to persuade patients to confront their underlying problems and believe in their ability to make the necessary changes (Ball, 2003).

Similarly, the type of CBT typically used for substance abusers "relapse prevention coping skills

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