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Imagery and craving in alcohol dependent persons
1Drug Services Victoria, Pleasant View Centre, 131 Wood Street, Preston, Victoria, 3072, Australia.
Drug and Alcohol Review
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Imagery techniques show promise in reducing alcohol dependence craving, particularly self-reported levels. However, physiological measures like salivation did not show significant changes, and script content did not impact effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Limited evidence exists for imagery techniques in exposure-based treatments for alcohol dependence.
- Changes in alcohol craving using cognitive and physiological measures after imagery instruction are not well-demonstrated.
- The impact of varying imagery script content on craving has not been investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare craving levels elicited by imagery versus control conditions in individuals undergoing alcohol dependence treatment.
- To assess the influence of different imagery script content on craving.
- To measure craving using both self-report and physiological (salivation) indices.
Main Methods:
- Participants receiving treatment for alcohol dependence were exposed to control or imagery conditions.
- Three different types of imagery scripts were used.
- Craving was measured via self-report and salivation rates.
- Image quality and affective components were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Participants reported forming high-quality images with strong emotional components.
- Imagery treatment significantly reduced self-reported craving levels.
- No significant changes in craving were observed using the salivation measure.
- A significant decay in self-reported craving over time was noted.
- No differences in effectiveness were found between the three imagery script types.
Conclusions:
- Imagery techniques can effectively reduce self-reported craving in alcohol dependence treatment.
- Physiological measures of craving may not be as sensitive to imagery interventions.
- The specific content of imagery scripts does not appear to influence treatment effectiveness.
- Findings have implications for refining exposure-based therapies for alcohol dependence, such as cue exposure therapy.
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