Drug-seeking behavior and its mediation: effects of aversion therapy with narcotic addicts on methadone

The effectiveness of aversion therapy was tested in the modification of drug-seeking behavior in addicts maintained on methadone. Covert imagery was paired with electric shock, and treatment sessions were randomized sequences of classical and avoidance learning trials. A significant decrease in positive ratings of drug stimuli was found immediately after treatment. However, there was no significant difference found between mean percent drug urines for experimental and control groups immediately after treatment, and at 3 and 6 months posttreatment for experiment volunteers and for eligible nonvolunteers, suggesting that motivational and expectancy variables may have interacted systematically with treatment. Implications for further research are discussed.