Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Unconscious Mind, Reality Principle, The Conscious Mind
4 Jun 2018
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Relapse Prevention
• High dropout rates are a major problem in treating substance abuse
• AA program seems to be moderately effective in reducing drinking if people remain in
the program and adhere to its procedures
• Fewer than 30% of treated alcoholics remain improved one year after treatment, and
80% of people who quit smoking relapse within a year
• Studies show that most relapses tend to occur after the person had suffered a lapse –
one time slip up, when confronted with a high-risk situation, which include stressful
events, interpersonal conflicts, social pressure, being in the company of others using the
substance, and experiencing negative emotion
• Increased likelihood to relapse occurs when people have not developed strong enough
coping skills to deal with high-risk situations
• After a lapse occurs, it is followed by a reaction called the abstinence violation effect –
person became upset and self-blaming over the failure to remain abstinent, and their
lapse is proof that they cannot be strong enough to resist temptation
o This effect places people at great risk of abandoning all attempts to change, and
in many cases a total relapse occurs.
• Others, who have good coping skills and resist temptation feel more confident in their
ability to remain abstinent even if they slip up once in a while
• Studies have shown that relapse prevention has an overall effectiveness equal to AA
programs, even though it is much briefer
Harm Reduction Approaches to Prevention:
• Substance abuse can result in self-defeating sexual and aggressive behaviours
• Harm reduction – prevention strategy that is designed to reduce the harmful effects of
a behaviour when it occurs (not necessary eliminate the behaviour)
o Harm reduction includes needle and syringe exchange programs that reduce the
spread of HIV
• The reason this is done is because if the behaviours themselves cannot be changed, at
least it’s possible to modify the harmful effects on the person and society
• University student’s drinking rates are on the rise
• Many women drink more than 4 drinks at the same occasion and more than 5 for men
• These rates have been increasing and studies have been implemented – studies show
that many of the students who abuse alcohol were not aware of the extremeness of
their issue because most of their friends drank the same amount
• When these student’s were shown the average rates of student drinking they were
shocked with the discrepancy between them and others
• These students were informed about the physical and psychological effects that alcohol
abuse can have
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