Analysis of an Intervention for Cocaine Abuse

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the more effective interventions employed in treating cocaine addicted, dependent, or abusing patients (Cocaine abuse and treatment�, 1999). However, it is important to recognize that there seems to be no lasting, reliable, inexpensive cure or intervention for cocaine addiction; the process of treatment is often complicated, requiring several types of treatment, since addicts usually have many other social and psychological problems. However, given that only about 10 to 15 percent of people who try cocaine become addicted, and of those who do, most succeed in breaking the habit, the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may well be better than expected (Cocaine abuse and treatment�, 1999).

Cognitive and behavioral techniques, often imparted through group therapy, are increasingly popular in treating cocaine addiction and other forms of drug abuse (Cocaine abuse and addiction�, 1999). The principles of operant and classical conditioning are used to make the drug itself less appealing and to create rewarding alternatives by altering the patients' internal and external environment. Patients are assisted in developing more appropriate cognitive schema and coping skills, anger management techniques, and self-care strategies. In CBT, contingency contracting is often used. Most significantly, the self-defeating behavior of addicts is modified by changing their beliefs about themse

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k baseline was compared in methadone maintenance patients who had less than five versus more than five weeks of abstinence during an experimental cocaine abstinence reinforcement program. Those who had the most successful outcomes were found to have used cocaine significantly less during the baseline period than those with less successful outcomes. Preston, et al (1998) concluded that the efficacy of CBT in treating cocaine abusers may be mediated by other factors external to CBT itself. Indeed, others have also pointed out that evaluating programs for cocaine addiction presents many difficulties. There is no clear evidence, according to the Harvard Mental Health Letter (Cocaine abuse and addiction�, 1999), that any single treatment is better than any other treatment for cocaine addicts in general or for any well-defined class of addicts. The NIDA has sponsored a large experiment comparing CBT, psychodynamic therapy, and individual drug counseling based on cognitive behavioral and 12-step principles. The programs were provided for a year along with group drug counseling. Intensive individual counseling, starting at twice a week and ending at once a month was found to be slightly more effective than other strategies (C

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