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  • Title: Postwithdrawal exposure treatment to prevent relapse in opiate addicts: a pilot study.
    Author: Kasvikis Y, Bradley B, Powell J, Marks I, Gray JA.
    Journal: Int J Addict; 1991 Nov; 26(11):1187-95. PubMed ID: 1683860.
    Abstract:
    A major problem in treating opiate addiction is relapse within a few months after withdrawal. Learning models of relapse offer some promise toward understanding this problem. The present pilot study examines whether cue-exposure treatment to drug-related cues, in hospital and real life, might reduce relapse. Fourteen opiate addicts were withdrawn on clonidine over 6 days, and 10 of those were exposed to drug-related cues in hospital for 1 week and in real life for another. There were then followed as outpatients up to 6 months. Craving was elicited in half of the 10 patients exposed to drug cues who showed within- and between-session habituation. Four cases were opiate-free at 6 months follow up and 1 at 3 months. Half of the cases had relapsed to heroin at various times up to 6 months. Habituation to craving responses was not obviously related to outcome whereas vocational factors were. The operational use of craving in research is discussed.
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