|
Post by pauline reeves on Sept 21, 2017 13:52:45 GMT
Classical conditioning means a specific stimulus caused a specific response as in the case of the dogs salivating at the sound of the bell. I believe that an alcoholic developed their addition through a similar form whether intentional or unintentional. It could have been that their was a specific situation where alcohol relieved some pain or discomfort whether physically or mentally and also this situation might have lasted for a while and the alcohol is used each time to calm or relieve the pain or anxiety.Even with the absent of pain the habit continued to avoid the reoccurring of the pain. However if the alcoholic is made to understand by removing the alcohol that the addiction is a learnt behavior and in fact does not remove the pain the the behavior will be reversed. Therefore I would suggest removing him from his present environment where the alcohol is accessible allowing to understand that he can survive without the alcohol and that in fact the pain might very well be still there, then the addition will be reversed. We could used his favourite alcohol bottle filled with water or juice, once he sees the bottle he thinks of alcohol but if he continues to get juice or water the craving for alcohol will diminish.
|
|
|
Post by Angelika T. on Sept 21, 2017 20:26:08 GMT
You are almost there, but keep in mind all of the components of classical conditioning to make the application to alcoholism a bit easier. Also when looking at aversion therapy it refers to eliminating an unwanted behavior (alcohol) and pairing it with a stimuli that usually causes discomfort in order for the unwanted behavior in this case drinking to not occur again. Maybe try to also tackle the second half of the question on desensitization, which is similar to exposure therapy meaning that the therapist would slowly expose the client to their phobias or fears. I hope that helps.
|
|