A Conceptual Framework and Treatment Strategy for the Alcoholic Urge to Drink Utilizing Hypnosis

Abstract

The present paper proposes a theoretical framework and a treatment strategy for dealing with the urges to drink that alcoholics experience during recovery. Two models are proposed: the Defense Model and the Conditioning Model. Each model covers a specific period of time during recovery in which the urges to drink occur. The Defense Model describes the urges that result in the initial recovery period, while the Conditioning Model is invoked to explain urges that materialize in the later phases of recovery. Next, a treatment strategy is delineated that incorporates these models and employs the use of hypnosis. The treatment strategy is divided into three phases, with the first and second phases dealing with the alcoholic's unconscious and the third phase being directed at the alcoholic's conscious.