The relationship of stimulus control to the treatment of substance abuse

This brief review points out important reasons for considering stimulus control in the treatment of substance abuse. Traditional drug abuse treatment procedures appear to manipulate stimulus control factors during treatment whether or not explicitly stated. In addition, treatment procedures differ in the profile of stimulus control dimensions addressed during treatment and can be differentiated in these terms. Assessment of the relative success of various treatments in modifying aspects of the environmental control of drug taking is beyond the scope of this paper, but analysis of dimensions of stimulus that control an individual's drug-seeking behavior may be a critical issue in determining which of the range of available treatment modalities will be most successful.