Alcoholism treated by systematic desensitization

THE use of aversion therapy in the treatment of alcoholism has tended to direct attention to the alcohol rather than the underlying problems of the patient. The aim of aversion therapy is to make drinking unpleasant, which may be achieved in several ways which include chemical aversion therapy using apomorphine (Raymond 1964), electrical aversion therapy (McGuire and Vallance 1964), and aversion which is verbally induced by the therapist when the patient is deeply relaxed. This method of treatment has been called 'covert sensitization' by Cautela (1967), and verbal aversion by Anant (1968). All aversive methods share the premise that alcoholism cannot be cured and that the patient, having completed his course of treatment, must abstain from alcohol for the rest of his life. Recently, a new approach to alcoholism has been introduced by Kraft (1968), in which the patient is treated for his underlying social difficulties without special attention being paid to the alcoholism. The advantage of this method of treatment, once the patient has become socially competent without the assistance of alcohol, is that he can continue drinking socially without developing a desire to drink to excess. The present report is a follow-up study of eight patients, five ofwhom were classified as suffering from primary alcoholism, and three from alcoholism 'secondary to social anxieties'. Eight patients were selected for treatment and all have recovered, no longer need alcohol for their support, and have made satisfactory life adjustments.