CBT, incentives work well for marijuana clients.A study of 90 adults diagnosed with marijuana marijuana or marihuana, drug obtained from the flowering tops, stems, and leaves of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa (see hemp) or C. indica; the latter species can withstand colder climates. dependence has found that a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Definition Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an action-oriented form of psychosocial therapy that assumes that maladaptive, or faulty, thinking patterns cause maladaptive behavior and "negative" emotions. and vouchers that could be redeemed for movie passes and other items worked better in encouraging abstinence abstinence: see fasting; temperance movements. than either of those approaches offered alone. Results of the study were published in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology. Researchers at the University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas strives to be known as a "nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world." The school recently completed its "Campaign for the 21st Century," in which the university raised more than $1 billion for the school, used and University of Vermont randomized ran·dom·ize tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. the study participants to either a voucher group (participants received vouchers for negative drug tests at various points in treatment), a CBT (Computer-Based Training) Using the computer for training and instruction. CBT programs are called "courseware" and provide interactive training sessions for all disciplines. group, or a group receiving both approaches. After three months of treatment, 43% of the latter group was no longer using marijuana, compared with 40% of the voucher-only group and 30% of the CBT-only group. At 12-month follow-up, the gap in results was larger: 37% abstinence in the combination group, 17% in the voucher group, and 23% in the CBT group. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Researchers concluded that for patients in the study, cognitive-behavioral therapy appeared to enhance the maintenance of the reward effect during treatment. Patients receiving vouchers were eligible to collect a maximum of $570 worth of earnings, which could be redeemed for items such as movie tickets and sports and recreation equipment. In CBT sessions for patients receiving vouchers, therapists discussed how patients could use the vouchers to support treatment goals of productive lifestyle changes. |
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