title: Applying behavioral contracting to alcohol abuse in a spinal cord injured patient.
abstract: While there have been studies of the use of contingency contracting with several populations of alcohol abusers, the application of alcohol-related contracting to non-psychiatric environments and patients without primary alcohol diagnoses has not been illustrated. A behavioral contract, which included the use of a time out detoxification room, scheduled communication sessions, and a drinking checklist was employed to reduce the inappropriate drinking, verbal and physical abuse of a spinal cord injured patient during a 12-month intervention/follow-up period. The contract's features and methods for improving its effectiveness are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000150:complications