Winning the Battle of the Booze

[Suvash]

A new training technique helps alcoholics curb the urge to drink.

Researchers from the University of Wales tested a program that works by helping excessive drinkers become less distracted by the alcohol stimuli they see around them, such as pictures of liquor in magazines or bottles in the supermarket.

Researchers explain, "Excessive drinkers unconsciously pay too much attention to the alcohol-related stimuli that surround us all." They say this makes them want to drink, and the Alcohol Attention-Control Training Program (AACTP) works by getting drinkers to pay less attention to alcohol, thereby gaining confidence in their ability to control their own behavior.

AACTP is a computer program based on goal-setting techniques with immediate feedback. For example, two beverages -- one alcoholic and the other non-alcoholic -- appear on a computer screen, each surrounded by a different color. The participant must identify the color surrounding the non-alcoholic drink as quickly as possible.

Researchers say, "This training causes people to become faster at ignoring alcoholic stimuli. Over a course of four sessions, our sample of excessive drinkers showed significant reductions in their attentional focus on alcohol, which translated into lower alcohol consumption."

They conclude, saying AACTP may be all that is needed to curb drinking in an early-stage abuser but other people may need further intervention. "Permanent change in drinking habits usually requires a person to restructure their lives in ways that can fill [the void in their life]."